Dream Tomorrow
by Jadebell
Summary: DISCONTINUED. Sequel to the Lost Dragon. Jack receives odd visions of the future after being attacked by Wuya in her palace. He must figure out what his true role in time is, before she gains control over every living being in the world.
1. Life and Death

**Finished: 20th October 2004  
****Uploaded: 19th March 2005**

_**Notes:** This is the sequel to my first fic, the Lost Dragon, so this won't make any sense if you haven't read that already._

_**Main summary:** Defeated by Wuya within her palace, Jack and the Xiaolin warriors are powerless to stop her taking Kimiko's soul. Jack has some disturbing dreams about the Earth's future. Will he be able to change that future, or will he just make things worse?_

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**Characters/POV: **This is where the story really starts to revolve around Jack, as he travels through dreams, time and beyond. It can get quite confusing ... because I like to confuse my readers. All will be explained in due time, I promise.

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Fantasy (more fantasy-based than anything)  


_**Rating:** PG-13/T_

**

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Dream Tomorrow**

**Prologue: Life and Death**

_Hong Zhua scurried through the cavern floors, following his senses … He could sense a Wood alignment – which must have belonged to Mu Long, the missing Dragon of Wood, but there were also two Moshu-Ren, who were not hiding their chi energy signatures … strange. Were they really that powerful, then, that they didn't need to hide? Hong doubted it … the Bind crystals had drained nearly all of the Moshu-Ren of their powers … maybe they just didn't realise that Nu Wa knew where they were hiding._

_He continued through a tiny hole – being a rat had its advantages – and came out at the other end, hiding behind a large rock. He began a transformation into a falcon, growing feathers where there was fur, wings where there were forelimbs; a beak and two beady eyes … He immediately flew up to get a better view. He could see three Moshu-Ren (one had been hiding his chi, then!), all outside what appeared to be a hut made of stone, and there were at least five more of these huts dotted around the huge cavern. Hong could also sense the Dragon of Wood; he was inside the hut that the Moshu-Ren were standing outside. He swiftly flew behind a nearer rock, and changed into a human form, peering cautiously around so he could better understand what the group were saying._

"_Are you sure about this?" one said. He was young, having just reached maturity, and he looked insecure; his midnight blue eyes were clouded with worry. His hair was long, and as black as the night sky, but he had a streak of white hair down the middle. Hong had recognised him as Xiongmao … the youngster warrior who had barely escaped with his life when Li Jin had sent his armies to raid Ping-jing last week … For a moment, Hong looked away with a pang, guilt and remorse overtaking him. Of all the Moshu-Ren to encounter … Why Xiongmao?_

"_I am **positive**," one of the others replied. This one was female, and looked a lot older than the other two. She had deep blood red hair, and angry brown eyes. Hong did not recognise her. "Li Jin will pay **dearly** for what he's done … and Mu Long will serve as the perfect tool."_

_The third Moshu-Ren chuckled, a blond with light blue eyes. He seemed just a tiny bit older than Xiongmao; Hong had the feeling that he was a lot cockier than him, too. There was an air of playful arrogance around this one. "As long as we're not being **too** vengeful here …"_

_There was an angry growl from Xiongmao. "This is serious, Fengqu! Messing around with the planet's jing is dangerous. You of all people should know that! We may irrevocably alter the world … and the power might be too overwhelming to control …"_

_Fengqu! So this was Fengqu … But why was he here with these other Moshu-Ren? Wasn't he on the Xiaolin side? He had followed Nu Wa's orders, once upon a time …_

"_Ah, you worry too much, Xiongmao," Fengqu said._

_Xiongmao didn't sound impressed. "Ao Kuang won't be too happy if he finds we're fiddling with the xing xing jing."_

"_Ao Kuang is a traitor, just like those disgusting Shoka," the red-headed one snarled. "He should be on our side, fighting for our right to rule over the humans – and instead he sides with that overbearing Nu Wa!"_

"_So angry!" Fengqu chuckled. "Ao Kuang was a great help to me. He knows that the Shen Gong Wu were created to preserve the balance after Gong Gong destroyed the flow of jing. He's hardly gonna stand idly by while we go out and do the same. In fact, I'm surprised you managed to swindle those Shen Gong Wu from him. Do they work?"_

_The red-haired Moshu-Ren, whose name Hong still had yet to learn, fiddled with a strange ruby that she wore around her neck. "Wuya had to infuse their jing with some of her **acquired** jing … so … yes, they do. But, as I'm sure you're aware, Fengqu, the fastest way to activate them all is to disrupt the xing xing jing."_

"_I still think this is a bad idea," Xiongmao said. "Did you forget about the Grandmaster?"_

"_Dashi?" snorted the red-headed one. "Ha! I will **personally** kill him if he interferes."_

"_He's not to be taken lightly," warned Xiongmao. "Don't forget, he has trained at all of the elemental temples."_

"_All the more reason for our plans to go ahead," Fengqu said with a grin._

_Xiongmao still didn't look convinced._

"_Trust me, Xiong," said Fengqu, patting him on the back. "This'll work. I should know."_

"_And I will take of it – of that you can be sure," promised the unnamed Moshu-Ren. "Wuya won't let us down."_

"_That's what I'm afraid of …" Xiongmao frowned sadly._

"_Aha! So that's what's bothering you! Wuya will be fine, I promise! She's tough as nails, that girl! And that's something I **definitely** know."_

_Hong backed away slowly – if there was ever any proof he needed that the Moshu-Ren were planning to overthrow the Empress, this was it! He had to get out of here … He began another transformation …_

_Then he felt a great weight shove him to the ground, and he felt sharp pains from a creature pinning him down – a large wolf, perhaps? – its sharp claws tearing into his back. It stepped off and grabbed him inside large jaws, and he flailed his arms and legs around as the creature carried him around, trying to get out of its mouth … He tried a transformation again but found, to his horror, that this time he couldn't – it was being blocked somehow … The creature carried him for a minute or so, and then came to a stop inside another of the huts._

_All the breath was forced out of him while he was dropped, hard, onto the ground at someone's feet, and he groaned._

_He looked up and saw a fourth Moshu-Ren smiling down at him. This one was female, looked about the same age as Xiongmao, and had purple hair. She wore an odd lantern around her neck. _

"_Well, hello there," she said with false friendliness, "you're a Shoka, aren't you?"_

_Hong tried to hide his surprise as best as he could. How had she known that? He was hiding his chi energy … and it was obvious that she was hiding hers, because he couldn't get a reading. He could sense nothing from her._

_Slowly, cautiously, he rose to his feet. "What makes you say that?"_

"_I'm not like the others … I've trained at the Shandian temple …"_

_Hong could not keep the loathing out of his voice. "Raicho … let one of you train at her temple?"_

_She matched his tone of disgust with one of her own. "You speak in the mindless manner that you have been taught … but I know deep down you don't agree with Li Jin …"_

"_Of **course** I don't agree with him … he's captured my family, and torched all but one of the Shoka villages …"_

"_And yet you would still fight us?"_

"_I can't let you carry out the Xiqu spell in the Shandian temple …"_

_She smiled thinly and took a menacing step forward. "And I can't let you live if you mean to oppose us …"_

_Hong prepared to transform again, but she shook her head, and pointed to a pink crystal that was also around her neck. A Shufu crystal …_

"_What? Moshu-Ren are supposed to be weakened by those …"_

"_I told you … I'm not like most Moshu-Ren … I stole this from a human I killed and modified it to suit my own needs, which means … no transforming …" She touched the crystal, and it glowed a soft mauve colour, revealing Hong's true appearance …_

_The creature that had brought him here growled, and Hong weighed his options. He could use magic to escape, but the Shufu crystal would probably block his moshu energy as well … The best thing would have been a chi energy attack. But before he could summon his chi, the Moshu-Ren called out:_

"_**Sun Chi Lantern!**"_

_Hong felt the bulk of his chi being absorbed by the strange little lantern. _

"_What …?" _

_Enough was enough … it was time to leave … He ran suddenly at the Moshu-Ren, hoping that by launching a physical attack instead of a magical one, he could catch her off-guard and make his escape …_

"_YOU'LL LEAVE HER ALONE!" _

_Xiongmao came charging in, roaring thunderously at Hong and dealing a hard blow to the Shoka's face, which sent him staggering to the floor. Of course, Xiongmao had been the Moshu-Ren hiding his chi energy, so Hong had not been able to sense his approach._

_The other one chuckled. "Honestly, Xiong, sometimes I think Fengqu is right about you. You take things far too seriously …"_

_But Xiongmao was quivering with anger, full of rage, his previous insecurity completely gone. "T-that **Shoka** killed my parents!"_

_She frowned instantly. "What …? Your parents … But … Are you sure?"_

"_Of course I'm sure! I was there! Nearly everyone in Ping-jing was killed …"_

"_I'm sorry …" she said softly, bowing her head. "I didn't know …"_

_There was an apologetic sigh from Xiongmao. "Oh … It wasn't your fault …" He took her into his arms. "I … didn't tell anyone."_

_She looked hurt. "Not even me?"_

"_I didn't want anyone else to worry …"_

_Hong was about to get up, but Xiongmao kicked him in the stomach a few times, cutting off his words. "You bastard! How can you live with yourself, knowing what you've done?"_

_Hong groaned once more from the floor. "I had no choice," he hissed. "If I did not help Li Jin, he would have tortured my family …"_

_Xiongmao glared venomously at Hong. "And so my parents were to be sacrificed instead? They served Nu Wa wholeheartedly!"_

_The other Moshu-Ren slashed a word into the air: piao. Hong barely had a chance to register the fact that he was floating, before he was struck by several small bolts of lightning._

_She must have been the Heylin Tiger of Lightning. Of course … in order to gain the powers of the Lightning essence, one had to be of the Lightning element. Everything had to be in alignment …_

"_Miserable **worm**," she hissed, a similar glare of hatred on her face. "Did you honestly think we would let you get away with this?"_

_Hong panted for air as he was dropped to the floor. "You don't know what you're doing," he told her. "You'd put the entire world at risk just to stop one madman? Surely there must be another way."_

"_My brother helped make the Shen Gong Wu. We know exactly what we're doing … We can't fight back because of those accursed Shufu crystals. You would have us stand by and do nothing while we systematically are wiped out from existence? Well, no more! I'll absorb the Lightning essence from the temple, and watch the humans run in fear! And once we find the Wood temple … Those inferior beings will bow before us!"_

"_Wood? You intend to absorb the Wood essence as well?"_

_She sneered, giving him a look of pure contempt. "Of course! Why do you think we captured the Dragon of Wood?"_

_The gears in Hong's head were turning. If that odd lantern let them steal chi energy, then they could steal the jing of living creatures, too. And if they could obtain someone else's element by stealing jing in this way, they would soon possess every element, and then every essence. They weren't just out to activate the Shen Gong Wu, they wanted complete control over the xing xing jing. The entire world would change, as the Moshu-Ren would be able to dictate who lived and who died, gaining control over the cycle of life, death, people's souls … This was far worse than Nu Wa knew!_

_Hong looked up at Xiongmao, knowing that he didn't agree with any of this. "And what about you? Aren't you opposed to this mad course to insanity?"_

"_Stop changing the subject," Xiongmao growled. He had been watching Hong for a few minutes, and with each passing moment, his rage had increased tremendously. Not matter what Hong's reasons were, he could never forgive him for killing his parents._

_"Whatever happens, I intend to avenge the death of my parents!" He bent down and jerked up Hong by his robes, almost choking him. "You'll **die** for what you've done. **Xiqu jing**!"_

_Hong Zhua screamed once more, experiencing first-hand what the Moshu-Ren planned to do with the Dragon of Wood. There was a brief sensation of sudden dizziness, a draining feeling, a loss of energy, accompanied by an overwhelming burning pain. It felt like his insides were being torn open, all of his organs were on fire …_

_Darkness came swiftly._

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**_Notes: _**

_**shandian ****– **lightning  
**  
shufu –** bind_

_**piao **– to float_

_This was one of many flashbacks I wrote last year, between uploading CH8/9 and CH10 of __the Lost Dragon. With this fic, my intention is to write the full story first and then upload it, but I may upload some chapters sooner if I'm happy enough with them._


	2. Wandering Souls

**Finished: 10th April 2005  
Uploaded: 25th May 2005**__

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**Chapter 1: Wandering Souls**

Kimiko's screams were an unremitting, dizzying sound, a high, tinny note filled with fear. Slowly her glowing red radiance faded, a light being dimmed – and doomed – to darkness. Her flame was gradually being extinguished, and she passed out …

_At least she won't die in pain,_ Jack thought sadly. He looked at Clay, (Omi and Clay's crystals were nearer to each other than they were to Jack's) and saw that Clay was once again hammering against the walls, trying desperately to smash through, even though it was clear that brute force would not be enough to break the magic that contained them.

Wuya ruthlessly continued to drain life energy, Kimiko's essence being siphoned into her hand.

"Mmmmmm …"

She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes, as she finally ended the draining spell. His body racked with guilt, Jack closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he leaned tiredly against his wall. Kimiko looked so pale, livid with bruises, while Wuya was rich in colour, emitting the red light that Kimiko once held. Wuya took another deep breath, turning off the red radiance like a light switch, and then held Kimiko's limp body closer, drawing something first on her forehead, and then onto the back of her right hand.

Clay was still banging with his fists, but Wuya made a "Humph," noise, and absently tossed Kimiko's lifeless body aside like a bag of rubbish.

"She's dead …" murmured Omi, a tear falling down the side of his face. How could he have let this happen? He should have been able to stop this … Never before had he felt so much sorrow, so much anger at himself for failing someone … Poor Kimiko … She hadn't deserved this … His first girl friend … he should have been able to protect her … Had all his training been in vain?

Jack was ready to break down with a tiny tear himself, and he was still in physical pain; but he steeled himself once more. He wouldn't give Wuya the satisfaction of knowing she'd got to him.

But Wuya turned around and looked at them directly, a dreamy, contented smile floating on her ravenous face. "That's not quite true," she said. "I've changed my mind. I thought I would spare her body, since her soul belongs to me …"

"Soul?" blurted Jack, now overcome with so much emotion that he wasn't thinking rationally. Wasn't it enough that she had her essence taken; she had to have her soul taken away too? "W-what are you harping on about now? Didn't you take her jing?"

She chuckled, incredulous as to how the Xiaolin Dragons ever expected to defeat her when they were armed with such little knowledge. "Heh. Don't you insects know anything? Use your head for once, Jack."

"How in the world could I possibly know what the hell you're on about?" Jack snapped, shaking with suppressed rage and sorrow. "You never told me anything!"

"Jing is the fixed essence that a living being possesses from birth," said Omi with understanding in his voice, his back facing everyone. He could not quite believe that they were in this situation, that they had lost, that Kimiko was ... gone. He spoke dejectedly, the first time Jack – or Clay – had ever heard him sound so … exhausted. It was as if he had given up. After all, it wouldn't be long until Wuya decided to do what she'd done to Kimiko on them.

"Yeah, I know," Jack said, aware that Wuya had her eyes pinned on him even if he wasn't looking at her. "It's used to make chi, right?"

"But … jing is not just a source of energy. It is a part of everything. Not only is it used to make chi, it constitutes everything that makes a person alive. A small part of this essence is also used to form a person's soul … and Wuya must have absorbed that too …"

"And now," Wuya said, making a ball of red fire appear in her right hand, "her element is _mine_. Fortunately for you, I have no need to take the essence of her physical body; I've already absorbed plenty of other hapless humans that were unlucky enough to cross my path last night … Still, without a soul, she is nothing but a lifeless doll." She snickered, seeming to find the notion incredibly amusing. "Ironically, it would have been kinder to just kill her …"

"You monster," growled Clay.

Wuya laughed derisively, her dark eyes glowing with intense hunger. The greedy, dreamy look was far more scarier than the heated ice one, a belittling gaze of triumph over her captives, over her _prey_. "I must admit, her essence was far more _delectable_ than that of those worthless humans … But it's merely whetted my appetite. Feasting upon _your_ spiritual essence will give me great pleasure.

"Hmm," she drawled after a deliberate pause, purposely taking her time, "whose element should I take next?" She used the Sun Chi Lantern to take away all four of the boys' chi energy, and Raimundo suggested: "Omi."

"Yes, why not?" she assented. Chosen of Metal were an unpredictable quarter - you could never really tell where their true powers lied - but Omi was still probably the biggest threat out of the three. The Water element was a powerful one, and Omi was definitely the most skilled fighter.

She licked her lips, and Jack blinked. This was crazy. She really _did_ want to eat them … or at least their jing, anyway. Even Clay was starting to feel like they were dishes at an all-you-can-eat buffet. But then her voracious look vanished, replaced by one of controlled anger and alarm. She turned away sharply; with eyes narrowed deep in concentration, it looked as though she was sensing something. Omi gasped as Wuya, still with her back facing them, waved her hand to make his crystal disappear. He remained suspended in the air by a levitate spell.

"Wait!" yelled Jack.

"Let him go!" yelled Clay.

"Quiet, maggots, and wait your turn."

She wasted no time with her next Xiqu spell. She knocked Omi out and down to the soft grass with a black-purple energy ball, hurriedly bending down over his unconscious body and immediately draining essence.

_Omi …! _Clay thought, with a rush of anger. Omi's blue essence was fading fast, flowing into Wuya, and there was nothing he could do to stop it ... But it occurred to him: she was taking it a _lot _faster than she had taken Kimiko's …

_Why's she doing it so fast? What does she know that we don't?_

_Something's got her spooked,_ thought Jack, a meagre glimmer of hope rising up inside him. But what could scare _Wuya_, in her own palace?

An explosion rocked the area, soon followed by another. Clay and Jack shook within their crystals; and Raimundo dropped the Star Hanabi. Most of the Huai-Ren scattered, flying off to investigate the source of the noise. But Wuya didn't move until she had finished with Omi; and as soon as she had done so, she drew _chenmo_ in the air, to silence Clay and Jack. Of course, with the Sunbird Down still underneath his jacket, Jack could not be afflicted with a silence curse, but Wuya did not know he was wearing that Shen Gong Wu.

Jack bit his lip as Wuya, in one rapid, continuous motion, removed Clay's crystal, knocked him out with another black ball, and hurriedly moved to absorb his essence. She spent even less time drawing essence from Clay.

"Is … there something wrong, your Highness?" Raimundo asked hesitantly, as he bent down to put the Star Hanabi into his pocket.

At first she didn't speak, concentrating at the task at hand, but then she murmured in a low growl, "I can sense a … presence. Something familiar." Her growl was filled with raw hatred. She switched off the yellow aura she radiated, whirling her body round, fists clenched, to glower at Raimundo. "How could someone penetrate my magical seals? Aren't those idiotic Heylin creatures guarding the gates?"

Raimundo shied away from Wuya's glare, keeping his eyes to the ground. "I-I don't know, Highness."

With one quick stride, she swiftly went forward, wrenching Raimundo closer by pulling on the front of his white hooded top. "_Worthless_ _dog_," she spat, firing lightning directly into his chest at the point of contact. He shook violently and bit back a cry as the electricity crackled through his body. "You were supposed to make sure the seals were air-tight! That's why I trained you, you _fool_!"

Raimundo's yelps soon turned into full blown screams as Wuya began to absorb _his_ essence, but, scared though he was, he seemed to accept his fate.

_How cruel …_ thought Jack.

_Boom! _The sounds of Huai-Ren being destroyed was not far off. Wuya took a good chunk of Raimundo's green essence, but it wasn't long before she dropped him to the ground and moved on to Jack.

"Now for the _spoiled_ _brat_," she hissed, making his crystal disappear, and he floated in mid-air towards her. She held her shining purple hand over Jack's forehead.

"Wait - Wuya!"

"Xiqu jing!"

Jack shut his eyes and tensed, bracing himself for the inevitable.

But nothing happened. It was like trying to suck a large piece of ice through a straw. Wuya tried to draw from Jack's essence, but something was blocking the flow.

The ground shook. She growled again as she waved her hand to stop him floating, realising that the _chenmo _spell hadn't actually worked either. Her eyes flashed furiously, and Jack knew, in that moment, that she was going to kill him. She wouldn't spare _his _physical essence. But, still full of aches and pains from her torture, he had no energy left to walk, let alone run away when she drew closer to him.

"How is it you're not affected by magic?" she demanded, shaking him violently as she pulled on his black jacket.

"I-I-I-"

"I _will _have your essence!" she snarled, hitting him with a strong, solid strike to his left cheekbone. He rolled over onto his back as he hit the ground; his open jacket revealed the fluffy cardigan he was wearing underneath – and the Falcon's Eye fell to the ground.

"Sunbird Down," Wuya smirked down at him, "of course. And the Falcon's Eye! I'll be taking _those_." Claiming the Sunbird Down with another Removal spell, she cast the chenmo spell again, chuckling darkly as she did so. She turned away from him briefly, snapping her fingers, and three purple Huai-Ren appeared before her, out of the ground.

"Take these into the Chamber of Seals," she ordered, giving them the Sunbird Down, False Fleece, Falcon's Eye, Sun Chi Lantern, Jet Bootsu and Third-Arm Sash, and they disappeared into the ground with the Shen Gong Wu.

Wuya returned her attention to Jack. He felt her warm breath in his ears as she whispered the Xiqu spell. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. He felt a burning pain in his heart, his intestines, his muscles - everywhere - reasserting the previous aches and intensifying them to unbearable levels ...

Another explosion, much nearer now. She was forced to stop the spell prematurely to see to them, leaving him to stand on his own two feet; and he felt the world around him spin round and round in a dizzying circle … He collapsed from lack of energy, feeling faint and weak. Luckily the grass was long and soft, and broke his fall.

He was still alive. Barely, but … he _was_ alive. She hadn't killed him after all. And he still had his thoughts … did that mean he still had his soul intact? Maybe she hadn't had time to take it.

_Boom!_

Jack wanted to watch what was happening – it sounded like Wuya was being attacked – but he didn't have any strength left to move. So he just lay there, waiting for something to happen, waiting for the unknown attacker to help him, or for Wuya to finish him off …

Unknown to Jack, a giant silvery-white heraldic dragon had taken on the masses of Wuya's Huai-Ren; and now there were none left. Flexing its great bat-like wings, and with a breath of raging fire, the dragon roared and hurled itself towards Wuya, but she easily dodged the flame, shooting a black beam at it from her hand as she did so, forcing a transformation that reverted it back to its true from. A creature with leaves for ears, stood where the dragon used to be, and long, pink petals came down in place of hair, framing a small rounded face. Dressed in red and black Xiaolin robes, with a dagger on its black belt, the creature had a slightly muddy complexion, a face that held a fierce expression of determination.

Wuya didn't even say anything to the newcomer; she instantly threw a bolt of lightning. But the creature firmly stood its ground, seeming to absorb the lightning rather than reel in pain from it.

"Thunderbird Down," the leaf-woman murmured simply, in a quiet voice that held the note of suppressed triumph.

Wuya chuckled. "I see … I _knew_ it was you …"

"Let the Chosen Ones go," she replied firmly.

Wuya smiled, a warped, twisted smile that would have chills down even the most bravest of souls. "Certainly," she said carelessly, overturning her right palm and making a small flame. She deliberately revealed the Fire energy she had stolen from Kimiko, glowing a full, vibrant red. "You can _have_ them."

The creature took a horrified step backwards. "The essence of Fire …"

"Is _mine_."

"No …" whispered the creature, finally noticing at the pile of bodies on the grass. "It's … just like … Mu Long … They're dead …"

"You're too late," Wuya sneered, "I've already taken what I needed from these wretched _humans_. I now have _every_ element within me. You were a fool to come here, SilverClaw."

The leaf-creature raised her arm up, and Jack's sword flew into her hands. "I wonder if the elements would return to their rightful place if you died by a Chosen's sword?"

"A magical sword produced by a Chosen of Metal will not affect _me_. Or have you forgotten who created the Shen Gong Wu?"

"I haven't forgotten … but it'll still serve my purpose well."

They both stared each other down. Wuya held the palm of her right hand out, creating a globular bubble of energy that rose up vertically and changed into a sword. Jack could hear the two warriors fight as they clashed clanging swords, although, after a small while, it seemed that Wuya was moving in a torpid, slovenly manner, not blocking blows nearly as well as she should have. SilverClaw eventually knocked Wuya's weapon out of her hands, holding Jack's sword to her throat.

SilverClaw was frowning harshly. That had been far too easy … "Giving up, are we?"

Wuya's dreamy smile returned. "Not a chance … You know any weapon created by a Chosen of Metal cannot harm me."

The other growled, recognising the drunken-like effects of jing over-consumption. "How much jing have you taken?"

"More than enough to dispose of you …" came the sing-song reply.

SilverClaw gave her a look of pure revulsion, tossing aside Jack's sword, which disappeared into the thin air from which it came,and she pulled out the dagger hanging from her black belt. "You Moshu-Ren make me sick. But, by killing you, I'll rid the world of your destructive race; and I'll return the elements to the xing xing jing."

Wuya still had a lazy, almost dopey smile. "You won't kill me. Not if you want the souls of those children back in one piece."

Jack stirred, moving his arms and legs slightly. He groaned, but there was no sound: he was still under the _chenmo _curse.

"Wait," said SilverClaw slowly, staring at Jack's movement's on the floor.

_They're still alive ... They still **have** their bodies intact ... Why didn't she kill them? _

"... If you took their jing, why didn't you just kill them outright? Isn't that what you normally do?"

"I reveal my intentions to no one, least of all _you_."

SilverClaw growled, pulling the strangely compliant Wuya closer. "Enough of your mind games, _witch_. Dashi may not have been able to kill you, but now – _now_ – I'll be the one who destroys the greatest threat known to the free world ..." She raised the dagger high with one of her brown root-like hands, ready to stab Wuya – who didn't fight back. "Die, foul Moshu-Ren!"

"No!" another voice cried out. Cloudstorm's, Jack knew. Maybe that's where Cloud had gone when he had left them outside the temple - to find help. He heard the gentle, swift _pitter-patter_ of Cloud's paws and talons on the grass, running up to Wuya and SilverClaw where they stood.

Cloudstorm leaped up and closed his shiny beak hard on SilverClaw's wrist before she could stab Wuya, and she cried out, struggling with the little griffin. Wuya didn't move when SilverClaw let her go, standing with a peaceful, satisfied smile, and unfocused, distracted eyes.

"What? You! Get off me!" SilverClaw wrenched herself free, and Cloud agilely flipped round to land on all fours. Even though Jack couldn't see it, he could _feel_ Cloud's anger; he was hissing like an angry cat, mouth open, silver fur on end, grey feathers bristling, standing protectively in front of Wuya.

"You fool!" SilverClaw snapped, rubbing her wrist. "You'll get us all killed! Why do you shield her? You must be under one of her enchantments!"

"Your hatred for Moshu-Ren obscures your better judgement! If you kill her, we'll lose the Chosens' souls to the cycle. They've lost too much jing!"

"He's right!" Befana agreed. Her voice had come from the same direction as Cloud's, somewhere not too far off. Jack didn't even know when she had arrived, but in this instance he was glad she had. "Wuya has their elements now. You were so quick to attack that you didn't even realise that. There's no telling what will happen to their souls if you kill her."

SilverClaw was fighting an inner struggle, shaking as she held the silver dagger. Wuya continued to look on into the distance with a light smile, seeming to find the whole thing entertaining.

Abruptly the Shoka snarled furiously. "What fool kind of Chosen are these, anyway? They charged right in without a single thought to what would happen if Wuya claimed all the elements. They're expendable. The elements will return to the xing xing jing once their souls permanently become shen or gui; and then Wuya will not be able to take them. Not until different humans are born with them, at least."

Jack knew Befana was frowning. He could hear her growling. Even though they'd done what they weren't supposed to have done, and attacked Wuya, Befana was sticking up for them. Her voice was cold and angry; but it was not only because of SilverClaw's harsh words. SilverClaw had always treated her with restrained suspicion and disdain; apparently, being descended from Moshu-Ren was all it took to earn a Shoka's mistrust.

"How can you say that? They're only children, for goodness' sake. What right have you to decide their fate? I can heal them; but you'll have to trust me to put things right. Then we'll decide what to do with Wuya."

"Trust _you_?" SilverClaw hissed in a strangulated voice. "You're one of – them."

There was an angry grunt from Dojo. And just when had he arrived? "Oh _for goodness' sake_, Silvy … look, ignore her, Befana, let's just get out of here."

"Yes-er … It would be prudent to leave-er …"

Wuya had taken the jing far too fast, and had been severely affected; she hadn't moved at all from where SilverClaw had released her, and she made no effort to save herself when she was levitated by Befana, and then encased inside a crystal prison of her own. She still had a stupid grin on her face. She didn't care; she had taken what she'd needed. She could feel Kimiko's soul within her; she wouldn't assimilate it just yet. They wouldn't dare kill her with the Dragons' souls in danger.

"Jack," said a warm voice, from somewhere much nearer to him, directly above him, "are you all right?"

"Think … so …" he mouthed feebly, and he looked up and around to see Cloudstorm.

"Befana'll make you better ... Good thing I stayed behind with a spare bottle of Movement potion, eh?"

Jack nodded weakly. He was so tired … And every part of him was aching …

"I found Coyote and Urubetsin in Thoth's temple," Cloudstorm went on, trying above all else to keep Jack conscious. Souls tended to wander during sleep if they were not properly secured to their bodies. And Jack couldn't wander, not just yet ... Not until they were back in Ping-jing.

"I found Dojo and Bai Hu, too. SilverClaw showed up after Coyote's summoning, and wanted to be the first to follow the Wind Dragon's Tiger portal … We needed a Warder to follow the portal, so we went back to Ping-jing …"

"Yeah, and I hope these whipper-snappers appreciate just how much of a risk I took coming 'ere!" said another grouchy voice, above Jack. "My leg ain't the same as what it used to be …"

A tiny smile appeared on Jack's face. That voice belonged to Do-dum, the grouchy old man they'd met in Befana's cottage. Standing next to him was Bai Hu and the unicorn from Ping-jing. Do-Dum banged the floor with his gnarled stick, "Give us some juice, tiger-boy!" and the stick shone brightly.

Bai Hu complied, forming a huge, powerful portal, and suddenly the whole group were on the edge of what must have been another forest, in the middle of a valley. Jack still lay on the ground, catching bits of conversation. He was tired … Befana levitated him and the other unconscious Dragons, placing them on nice, soft conjured beds. Sleep would have be nice …

"I must have been mad," sighed Befana, putting a hand through her hair, "entering the lion's den like that. Still, I did manage to 'borrow' the Serpent's Tail from that werewolf that attacked us."

"Not bad," Dojo said, speaking to Befana, while inspecting Wuya's crystal.

SilverClaw sniffed. "Hey," he shrugged, "we gotta fight fire with fire, right?"

Befana bent over Kimiko's body, drew the word _anima_ in the air, and concentrated hard. She couldn't sense Kimiko's soul inside her body, but that wasn't what was worrying her. What was troubling her was the odd writing Wuya had written on her forehead …

"A human that can use moshu energy … and a Warder," said Wuya, looking first at Befana, and then at Do-Dum. "And Bai Hu … Hah, should've guessed. No wonder you bypassed my seals."

Bai Hu had the ability to track Golden Tiger Claw portals, since the Claws were originally from his essence; so he must have followed Raimundo's portal here. Warders possessed no true magic of their own, but had the power to amplify the magic of others. With a power boost, Bai Hu had been able to get through the palace's shielding seals she'd placed together with Raimundo earlier that day, designed to keep intruders out.

Wuya smiled. Next time she'd be more careful. Even Bai Hu wouldn't be able to get past her most powerful shielding spells …

"Ha!" said Do-Dum. "I told you she weren't so tough!" He banged on Wuya's crystal with his stick. "Ain't so tough now, are ya?"

"Don't do that!" scolded Befana, who was still trying to locate Kimiko's soul.

"I ain't scared of her," Do-Dum said plainly.

Wuya shrugged. "Minor setback," was all she said.

"She, uh, doesn't seem too bothered about being trapped, does she?" said the unicorn, who wasn't taking any chances; he was a safe distance away.

SilverClaw growled. "She's absorbed too much jing, all at once, and it's all of different elemental kinds … The mixture of elements seems to have an intoxicating effect. We may never get a better chance; we should just kill her now, while she's still in this weakened state."

"The ol' kick-'em-while-they're-down strategy? Spoken from the words of a _true warrior_," said Dojo sarcastically.

"Shut up! I did more than you ever could, you spineless coward! You're not worthy of being a dragon; that's why you were demoted to Xiaolin baby-sitter. And you couldn't even do _that_ right!"

"At least I didn't have some kind of stupid vendetta against every person we met, you stuck-up magnolia!"

"What?"

At this point, Jack closed his eyes. The bed was soft, smooth and comfortable. He heard Befana and Cloud calling his name, while Dojo and SilverClaw continued to argue, but he didn't open his eyes. He didn't want to sleep, but he was exhausted, drained physically, emotionally and mentally. He was weak … He didn't know how long he'd still be alive for, because he felt so weak he was sure he was close to death, even if he still had his soul …

He felt himself drifting … floating … thinking …

Where would his soul go, if he died? Would it just disappear? Was there any point in living if it did? Would he travel to some kind of heaven – or hell? Or would he be reincarnated as something else? Would he keep his memories?

How could Kimiko still be alive without a soul? If a living body could exist without a soul, could that person still be called "alive"?

But then … the opposite must have been true, at the very least. If Wuya was anything to go by, souls could exist without bodies …

He was so tired … He didn't want to sleep … But he'd only rest for a little bit … Just a little bit …

Sleep came as a blessing, taking away all the aches and pains he felt in every part of his body, as well as the confusing thoughts he had in his mind …

* * *

Omi and Clay stood by the side of Kimiko's bed. They had both lost a significant amount of essence, but apart from losing their elements to Wuya, they were as good as new, thanks to Befana. She had used Jack's Vial of Light Shen Gong Wu to heal everyone's physical injuries, and the dark viscous liquid from the Shining Darkness to mend their spiritual wounds, preventing any more jing leakage. A delicious curative elixir made from the finest Peaches of Immortality – a source of jing – had restored everybody's lost essence. And with them, at Kimiko's side, was the Ping-jing unicorn Uno, who had helped with their swift recovery, thanks to the incredible healing properties of his unicorn's horn. They felt stronger than ever just by touching his horn.

But Kimiko would require more than the Peaches and Uno's horn to be healed; not even SilverClaw's Vital Spirit (a Shen Gong Wu that reconnected the link between soul and body if a person had died prematurely), could revive her. Kimiko's soul had indeed been taken by Wuya, as Befana had feared, and that could not be replaced. They would have to find a way to get it back before Wuya completely absorbed it.

Raimundo and Jack had suffered far less damage than the others, but Befana hadn't been able to revive them either. Befana couldn't locate Jack's soul on the physical plane at all; the link that joined soul and body had probably been severed by Wuya's attack. Usually, when a person slept, their soul travelled to the Dream World, where dreams were experienced, but a soul was always drawn back to its body when the person woke up. However, since Jack's link had been severed, his soul had gone walkies when he fell asleep. She'd have to find that, too. And Raimundo - well, he just hadn't woken up. What a mess.

Jack's parents, and indeed, Jack's father in particular, were both worried sick about their son. Though it had been Mr Spicer's fault that Jack became involved, Befana couldn't help feeling sorry for them all the same. Kneeling by his son's bed, within the cottage they were staying in, Mr Spicer held Jack's left hand in both of his, and kept whispering, "I'm sorry, son ..." over and over again, while Mrs Spicer sat on a wooden chair, sobbing quietly into her hands. The others couldn't begin to imagine what Kimiko's parents would be like if they knew what had happened to their daughter, but they had not been able to contact Master Fung and the other monks. Cloudstorm also remained with Jack, and, after a while, his parents began to find a strange comfort in the little griffin's presence. Cloud seemed to have that effect on people.

Strangely, Ember had returned to Ping-jing. After she had found out about Thoth's death, there was no need for her to guard the temple any more. Omi and Clay had thought Long would take Thoth's death more seriously; but Long shrugged it off ("That's the fourth time he's died in the last hundred years - one day his night-time antics will be the permanent death of him."). Ember had had enough though. She didn't say why, but she felt it was to do with the words of the strange goggled boy she had met in the temple …

Meanwhile, Raimundo was inside Befana's cottage, under guard even though he was unconscious – no one was quite sure how he would be when he would wake up – although the newest group, Uru and Coyote, were unaware of the reason why.

"Cheer up, Omi," Clay said to Omi. Omi was staring despondently at Kimiko's pale form. "Befana said she'll find a way to get Kimiko's soul back."

"But … we have lost our elements. Our recklessness has cost us dearly."

"SilverClaw said that if we travel to the elemental temples, we can get 'em back. Look, there ain't no point in beatin' yourself up over it. We did our best. We knew we weren't strong enough ta beat Wuya, anyway. And you were great, dodgin' all them lightning bolts and stuff. At least we managed ta capture her."

Omi grinned. "I _was_ great? I WAS great!" It hadn't been difficult, really, avoiding Wuya's Lightning. It was just like dodging Eye of Dashi blasts. Really powerful Eye of Dashi blasts. And leaping through the Huai-Ren and the swaying tentacles had been just like taking the obstacle course challenge. Maybe his training hadn't been in vain after all.

Clay beamed at Omi's wide grin. It looked like he was feeling better already.

Omi's smile fell slightly, as he remembered something that he had wanted to ask. "What is it that Wuya's written on Kimiko's forehead?"

On Kimiko's right hand, Wuya had written her name, _wu_ and _ya_; but on Kimiko's head was odd rune-like writing that wasn't Chinese.

"Befana's not sure," Uno replied, "and Long can't read it. He says it's written in the ancient Moshu-Ren tongue, and there hasn't been anyone who knows how to speak that in hundreds of years.

"Don't worry," he added when Omi and Clay gave him startled looks. "Befana'll figure it out. She's the best when it comes to dispelling curses. And if not – there's always the Alicorn Bell."

"Alicorn Bell?"

"Yes. A Shen Gong Wu, from the most powerful unicorn's horn, with the ability to remove any curse."

_Crash!_

Suddenly there was a sharp, rumbling sound, from outside, and hearing a yell that sounded suspiciously like Befana, Clay and Omi left Kimiko with Uno, running out through the door of the wooden house to see what was happening.

Raimundo was outside, opposite an irate Befana. He had taken her by surprise by waking up suddenly: she had removed the Golden Tiger Claws from his hand, but not the Star Hanabi which had remained hidden inside his pocket. He fired at a couple of houses, setting them alight, and jumped up and around to avoid being captured by the Xiaolin witch. Wuya may have stolen his element, but that didn't mean he wasn't still skilled at acrobatic leaps and agile jumps.

"Where are the Shen Gong Wu?" he demanded, leaping out of the way from a shot that would have encased him inside a crystal.

"Like I'd tell _you_, traitor." She noticed Omi and Clay sneak up behind Raimundo, and she nodded discreetly to the two of them. "Don't be an idiot," she said to Raimundo, keeping his attention on her. "Your mistress is safely locked away in my most powerful magical prison. There's no way a child like you could break her out."

Raimundo smirked. "You'd better hope she doesn't get out herself, then. If this is Ping-jing, then it's the exact place she was trying to reach, y'know."

Clay frowned. _What on earth has gotten into him?_ He and Omi had successfully reached Raimundo, without him noticing, so he threw a lasso to capture Raimundo within the rope, while Omi leaped to take the Star Hanabi out of his hand.

"Rrrr! Let me go!"

"Not a chance, Raimundo," said Clay. Before long, Raimundo was back in Befana's sweet-filled cottage, where this time he was placed inside a crystal. Omi and Clay worriedly watched him growl, pacing backwards and forwards like a frustrated animal in a cage. Soldor the elf shook his head. "He's got it bad …"

Urubetsin, the big muscular man with spiky hair, came through the door and with him was SilverClaw and Ricky. Omi sighed. Ricky was Raimundo's older brother, but, although he had been faithfully at his brother's side, watching him sleep, he still didn't know that Raimundo was now on the Heylin side.

"What's going on?" Uru asked. "Raimundo's woken up?"

"Why have you put him in there?" Ricky yelled, obviously upset and confused by both Raimundo and Befana's actions. Why had they been fighting each other? "Let him go!"

"I can't do that," said Befana sternly.

"And why the hell not?"

"Go up to him and see for yourself."

Ricky walked closer, reaching out to touch the crystal. "Raimundo?"

"Get away from me," Raimundo hissed venomously, turning his head round to glare angrily at him.

"What's _wrong_ with him?" Ricky asked, recoiling away in horror from his brother's glowering stare. "Why – why was he with Wuya?"

Clay, Omi and Befana exchanged awkward looks.

Uru sighed patiently. "What's happened …? C'mon, you can tell us."

Befana looked down at the ground. "Raimundo has betrayed us all. He was the one who restored Wuya."

"No," said Ricky, "it's not possible – he wouldn't do that …"

"Yep," nodded Raimundo, smirking suddenly, looking very proud of himself, "I _did_. And I'd do it again."

After a small, shocked silence, where Ricky stared at the floor, he whispered, "How? How could he have done this?"

"I believe Wuya has done something to him," Omi said reassuringly, trying to cheer him up just as Clay had cheered him up. Ricky looked so down: and Omi still felt partly responsible for what had happened.

"Yes, so do I," Befana agreed. "He seems to be under a spell of darkness, one that increases hostility towards others."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Ricky said. He instantly whirled round, looking like he was going to storm down the valley to the cave where Wuya was being held captive, and, just as he did in the desert, Uru once again held him back.

"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd react this way," Befana replied.

"Well – can you fix it?" Ricky demanded furiously, grunting in annoyance as Uru let him go.

"I – I don't know," Befana fumbled. "I'm trying to find a cure, but unless I know exactly what's wrong with him, it could take days – or even weeks – for me to find the correct reversal potion."

"I think it was after I was frozen," said Omi.

"What makes you say that?" asked Befana, turning to face the boy.

"He seemed to be doubting his decision to join Wuya when I fought him. I could tell. He did not truly want to fight me, but he could not bring himself to admit it. But then when we fought against him inside Thoth's temple … it was like he was a different Raimundo."

"Hmm …" said Befana. Dojo was the only one present, apart from Omi, who had seen what happened in the Horn of Qilin cave; and Omi had been frozen while Jack and Raimundo had taken part in the showdown. "What _really_ happened back in that cave, Dojo?"

Everyone looked at Dojo, who gave them a nervous stare back. "I'm sorry, I was … hiding behind a rock. I didn't see much."

"Figures," said SilverClaw tersely, branch-like arms folded in disgust.

"Hey," he yelled indignantly, "Wuya was gonna turn me into an insect! If Jack hadn't shown up when he did – "

"Did Jack see anything?" Befana interrupted. "I need to know exactly what happened. Every little clue helps."

"Dunno. He must have done. He was right in the thick of it."

"So that Spicer kid can tell us if he saw anything out of the ordinary?" Ricky asked, hope filling his voice.

"Well yes – except that Jack's in a state of soul-lessness thanks to Wuya."

"You've gotta find his soul right away, then!" Ricky yelled, voice angry and insistent.

"Don't you think I know that?" Befana snapped. She knew he was worried about Raimundo, but he shouldn't have been taking it out on everyone else. "What do you think I've been _trying_ to do?"

"I still think we should just kill her," SilverClaw said coldly, but as Omi, Clay, Ricky, Dojo and Befana gave her a simultaneous group-glare, she gave in. Omi and Clay had heard a lot about SilverClaw, and they respected her for helping Dashi defeat Wuya fifteen hundred years ago; but after finding out that killing Wuya would mean the loss of Kimiko's soul, they were angry with her for always suggesting to kill the Moshu-Ren.

"But … if you _really_ want to find their souls … You'll need to journey to the Dream World. Souls travel there when a living physical body rests in sleep. That may be where Jack's soul is. And if … If Wuya is put to sleep, both her soul and that of the Fire Dragon will temporarily separate from her body. It may be possible to recover the Fire Dragon's soul in the Dream World before Wuya absorbs it and make it her own."

Omi took a bold step forward, knowing what they would have to do. "And how do we reach this Dream World?"

"Well … that's the thing. Apart from pixies, no physical being can exist in the Dream World. Well – tell a lie – they can, but it's extremely dangerous. So the best way is to become a non-physical, ghostly form –"

"The Serpent's Tail!" exclaimed Omi excitedly.

"Yes, yes, the Serpent's Tail is one way … but we still need another Shen Gong Wu to make the journey to the Dream World once you've become non-physical."

"What about the Soul-Dream Bracelet?" Dojo asked. "Couldn't we use that to separate Wuya and Kimiko's souls?"

"Yeah, that too, I suppose. The Soul-Dream Bracelet separates souls from bodies," she explained, when she saw Clay and Omi's blank faces, "and either that or the Serpent's Tail can be used in conjunction with the Starbird Down. But the point is, we still need the Starbird Down to travel to the Dream World in order to find Jack's soul, regardless of the method used to become an ethereal form."

"Don't suppose either of you remember where the Starbird Down is?" Clay asked.

Dojo and SilverClaw looked at each other.

"Well _I_ don't know where it is," SilverClaw said obstinately, looking a little haughty as she folded her arms. "Dojo hid most of them after he got kicked out of Ping-jing."

"Don't go giving me that high-and-mighty look," snapped Dojo, folding his arms. "I thought _you_ hid that one!"

"I'll take that as a 'no', then," Clay sighed.

"But searching for an inactive Shen Gong Wu … that could take forever," said Dojo.

"There is one other way to get to the Dream World, which doesn't require any Shen Gong Wu at all," said SilverClaw.

"How's that?" asked Clay.

"The most obvious way – to fall asleep. But it's a _lot_ more risky. You won't have any control over what happens in your dreams. Whatever happens, though, we need to put Wuya to sleep before she assimilates your friend's soul for good."

"I'll take care of that," said Befana. "I can borrow some more pixie dust from Luma Luma and do it myself."

"So we 'ave ta sleep?" asked Clay. "Sounds good ta me. Hey, where's Rai's brother gone?"

Ricky was no longer in the room.

"Done a runner, as usual," said Uru.

"Great …" said Befana sarcastically. "And I bet I know where he's gone …"

* * *

"What have you done to him?" Ricky roared, banging on the magical blue shield surrounding Wuya's prison cell. The cell was inside a cave across the far end of the valley, a regular prison cell with metal bars.

Wuya was sitting down comfortably on the ground, leaning her back against the ragged, stony wall of the prison. She greeted her visitor with a charming, but annoying smile. "You'll have to be specific, I'm afraid. I've done _many_ things, to _many_ people …"

"_Raimundo_," he growled in a clipped tone. "What have you done to _Raimundo_."

Her smile grew larger, and she leaned forward, clasping her hands together. "Oh … _him_ … hehehe …"

"What have you done to him!" Ricky repeated. "How have you made him so angry at me?"

"I've done nothing. Those feelings of hatred have always been there."

"You're lying," Ricky stated simply.

"Am I? I've seen you before, Ricardo Pedrosa," she purred quietly, looking him up and down. They had the same green eyes. Ricky's hair was a lighter shade of brown, though, and long and wavy, reaching his shoulders. "Yes … I've seen you. While I was inside your brother's mind."

"W-what?"

"He hates you," Wuya said just as simply, her voice low and mocking.

"You're lying!" he said again. _His_ voice was firm and angry, but hesitant around the edges. Doubt was beginning to creep in …

"Oh, but he _does_. I've read his mind. Twice, I might add. He resents you for being your father's favourite."

"I – I –"

"For God's sakes, get away from her!" Befana yelled, running into the cave and pulling on Ricky's arm.

Ricky yanked his arm away. "Don't tell _me_ what to do! He's my brother, godammit, and I want to know what the hell's wrong with him!"

"You idiot! You're not helping! I'll … I'll talk to her. Before I do what I need to do."

" … Fine …" Ricky left reluctantly, turning his head round once, "but don't screw up, otherwise I'll be back."

"Stupid idiot," Befana grumbled. "And I don't know what you're looking so smug for," she snapped at Wuya, pointing an index finger at her prison. "There ain't no way you're getting out of that. As long as you're in Ping-jing, you can't use your elemental chi or powers; and that shield stops you from using magic."

"Yes, I know …" Wuya tilted her head, examining the flickering shield. An ingenious work of magic. She couldn't use any magic whatsoever while within its borders. Not bad for a human. "Why do you put up with them ordering you around? You deserve better than this."

"Don't even _try_ tempting me, Wuya. We're not all as gullible as Jack Spicer, you know."

"No, of course not." This time Wuya's smile was genuine, nothing sinister hidden behind it.

"Where's Jack's soul?"

"How should _I_ know?"

"You must think I'm _really_ stupid. We all know you've put a spell on Raimundo, so you might as well come clean."

Wuya leaned forward again. "You really think I'd just tell you outright? I'm not your run-of-the-mill villain, about to give away my plans just so that you _heroes_ can thwart them at the last possible moment. But," she said, her tone suddenly becoming less harsh, "you're highly skilled in magic. I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough. Your intelligence is being wasted here … you could do so much more with magic, you know."

Befana blinked. Was Wuya _really_ complimenting her, or was it just a trick to win her over? Probably a little of both. She was beginning to appreciate how Jack and Raimundo must have felt when confronted by her. Wuya seemed to have an uncanny way of knowing exactly what someone wanted, and how to utilise that to her advantage.

In Befana's case, what she wanted was … freedom. No one ever praised her for her help – it was always fix this, heal that, transform that … Initially, she had been grateful to Long for allowing her to stay in Ping-jing. Shunned by her home village for practising _stregoneria _she had spent most of her life wandering from town to town, never staying in one place too long. Sooner or later, they always found out about her powers … but ever since she had taken up residence in Ping-jing, she felt as though everyone was taking her for granted. She was the next best thing to a Moshu-Ren Healer, and she was constantly getting calls from just about every free mythical creature in the world. Not once did they say thanks for a job well done.

And Wuya … was the last Moshu-Ren left. Most of the spells performed by the ancient Moshu-Ren had been lost by the passage of time – all the Moshu-Ren had been wiped out, and their descendants whittled down to a measly few, like Befana. Wuya was right. She _could_ do a whole lot more, with the right teacher …

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted," Befana said at length, "but … I _have_ to help them. I'm the only one who can, see."

"Do what you want, then. I won't hold it against you when I escape."

Befana couldn't help smiling a little. "A little over-confident, aren't we?"

The dark smile returned. "I'll find a way. There's _always_ a way. And once I get out of here, I'll grind this pathetic little village into the ground."

This brought a frown to Befana's face. "We'll see about that." She held up the bag Luma Luma had given her, spreading out pink dust onto the palm of her hand.

"Pixie dust. Humph. You want to send Omi to rescue Kimiko's soul by entering my dreams? Foolishness. You won't be able to protect them from me in the Dream World."

"Empty threat. Nothing that happens in the Dream World is real. You have no control over the reality there. So you can't do anything to harm them in the Dream World." Befana blew the pink dust from her hand, where it magically flew through the barrier and into Wuya's cell. Wuya coughed, sneezed, and then, surprisingly, began to laugh.

The disturbing sounds of her laughter reverberated around the entire cave. "Oh, _can't_ _I_?" she sneered, before dropping to the ground and falling asleep.

Befana took a small step backwards, wondering if she'd done the right thing.

_What did she mean by that?_


	3. The Streams of Time

**Finished: 30th April 2005  
Uploaded: 12th June 2005  
**

**Author's notes: **No, the Streams of Time aren't a Shen Gong Wu … just streams of time.

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Streams of Time**

Drifting … floating … thinking …

Kimiko woke up, finding herself lying on her stomach, on a cold, hard floor. Using her hands and elbows, she propped herself up into a sitting position. In the dim, eerie light, she saw that she was inside an enclosed cave, roughly about the size of a small bedroom. She was surrounded on all sides by solid rock: there was no way in or out.

A wave of fear and confusion shot through her, making her tremble with sorrow. A tear fell from her face and dropped to the floor. Was this what it was like to die? Would she be stuck in here until the end of time? Never before had she felt so alone, so scared, so _hopeless_. She longed for the days where Raimundo was still their friend, still playing the odd practical joke and teasing Omi silly; she wanted Clay to pat her on the shoulder and tell her everything would be okay; she wanted Omi to cheer her up with his innocent charm …

None of her friends were here, though. She was all alone.

But she _wasn't_ by herself. And she couldn't explain it, but that scared her even more.

There was another person leaning against the wall in one corner, a brown-haired man in his late twenties sitting with his knees pressed up against his chest and his arms around his knees. There were several tears and gashes streaked across his black jeans, his ashen forehead covered in little sweat-balls. He moved forwards and backwards in a gentle swaying motion, brown eyes focused on the ground ahead of him.

"She got you too, huh, little girl …?" he said quietly without looking at her, in what was probably meant to be an indifferent voice, but it ended up being more of a shaky, sighing tone, from the depths of the earth.

Kimiko looked at the man closely, trying to determine whether he was dangerous or not. He didn't exactly look sane – he seemed the kind of person that would stab his own mother given half a chance. After a short silence, she regained control of her senses. He was in the same boat she was; surely he would want to try to get out of here too.

"You mean … Wuya?"

"Is that what she's called? I never caught 'er name. The city was in chaos. I thought she'd be an easy target." The indifference was strong now. His voice was listless, lacking any emotion or force. It was as if nothing mattered to him any more. Suddenly Kimiko got the feeling that he _had_ tried to get out of here.

"We should … find a way out of here," she said gently, feeling the stony walls for any structural weaknesses.

"We can't," he said tiredly. "_She_ won't let us."

" … Where is she now?"

"Dunno. She comes and goes as she pleases. I – I … every time she comes, I feel cold. More and more cold. An' empty. I … can't remember … Sometimes … I …"

He trailed off without completing his sentence. He looked hard at the ground, straining to recall something; and then suddenly, as if an internal switch had been pushed, the man's demeanour changed completely. He rose to his feet, snarling, staring at her, eyes bright and wide open in insane rage.

"Rrrrr …!" He raised a right fist. Kimiko had never really let her guard down, and she ducked, knocking him over with a low sweeping kick. But then, as if nothing had happened, he curled into a ball on the floor and shivered violently, sweat pouring from his face. Kimiko was shocked by the abrupt personality changes. What had happened to him? Unless …

"Don't mind him," said the wall behind her. Kimiko let out a small shriek, scrambling to the opposite side of the prison.

Wuya phased through the wall. "He's just missing pieces of his soul. It makes him – unpredictable."

The man stood up, changing moods again, as if he'd only just noticed Wuya was there. "What do you _want_?" he cried in despair. "You keep coming here and then leaving me all alone; and then ya left that girl here …"

He glanced at Kimiko, who gave him a sorrowful look, full of pity. There was nothing she could do for him. Wuya said nothing.

"I'm sorry – I shouldn't have attacked ya," he said to Wuya somewhat contritely, seeming to have the idea that acknowledging a crime suddenly made it okay. "An' I overdid the name-calling. I'm sorry …"

"But _I'm_ not sorry," Wuya chuckled. "Not sorry at all. You see, it was thanks to your life-energy that I was able to reach full power again."

She took a step forward, and he instinctively took a step back. "Before I was just toying with you," she told him, "but now I think I'll just finish you off. I can't have you running around free in the Dream World while I sleep."

"Please – don't kill me," he said in a pitiful voice.

"You simpleton! You're _already_ _dead_. I've already absorbed your physical essence. All that remains of you is a sad little heap of dust on the floor. I'm just here for what's left of your soul."

_Heap … of … dust …?_ thought Kimiko. _Is that … what's happened to me?_

He sank to his knees, sobbing into his hands. "I don't want to die … not like this …"

Wuya frowned in annoyance, her face as stony and cold as the walls. "If you did not want to die … you should never have been born. All who are born under Nu Wa's cycle, die under Nu Wa's cycle."

She held her right arm up, and the man turned grey and transparent; and then he split into two separate parts, one white and one dark. The white part changed shape, becoming a bright, shining orb, which floated upwards, while the dark part formed into a mass of shadow and sank down to the floor.

"Every soul must eventually return to the planet's essence …" Wuya said quietly, drawing a semi-circle in the air, where the yin-yang symbol appeared.

_Wuya has two sevenths of the xing xing jing inside of her_, thought Kimiko_ …Which … is where I am now, I guess …_

The white orb moved down at the same time as the shadow mass moved up, and swirled together, recombining to form a grey mist. Wuya took a deep breath, inhaling the mist through her mouth. Kimiko looked down at the floor. She couldn't watch Wuya devour the man's soul.

Presently Wuya turned around, to face Kimiko. She looked up and backed away into the wall, but there was nowhere to run.

"Once I absorb the xing xing jing of the other elements," Wuya said, slowly advancing, "I'll be in full control of the cycle. I'll finally have my revenge on that accursed Nu Wa!"

In any other situation, Kimiko would have fought, would have kicked back and scratched and done anything to stop Wuya getting her way. But Kimiko didn't bother. If she was already dead, and her soul was trapped inside Wuya, what was the point in fighting?

"Just make it quick," she growled bitterly.

Wuya shook her head, chuckling heartily. "Oh _no_. I've got a far more important use for your soul, Kimiko."

A bright flash overtook the entire area, and Kimiko knew no more.

_You're the bait …_

* * *

Jack opened his eyes. He was standing in the centre of what looked like an abandoned city. There were skyscrapers, and houses and department stores, but they were cracked, broken; empty. Windows were smashed, doors hanging by one hinge, roofs half-collapsed, rusting lampposts and traffic lights on the floor, the roads torn asunder by what must have one hell of an earthquake …

_What … happened? Where … am I?_

Jack's boots crunched on shattered glass as he continued along the path of destruction, trying to see whether there were any survivors. Soon he decided to fly up, as it was faster to fly, and after ten minutes of soaring above broken rooftops, he noticed a trail of smoke on the horizon. He flew towards it, finally finding what he hoped was a sign of life.

And sure enough, next to a broken section of motorway, he could see a tiny group of people surrounding a smashed up aeroplane that must have crashed into the ground long ago. They must have made their homes within the craft, as it was the only thing around for miles that still had a roof. But when he landed, he realised just how destitute this place really was. These people lived here, but it could hardly be called living.

There were five of them, three men and two women. They all looked anxious, all looking around them worriedly, as if expecting another calamity at any moment. They were all ragged, with torn clothes, scruffy uncombed hair, a general dishevelled appearance. But what got to Jack the most was the expressions on their faces. Their eyes had dark circles underneath, as if they had not slept in weeks, and were filled with the same empty feeling exuded by the wrecked city. Despondency and hopelessness plagued each one of their eyes, as if they'd lived like this all their lives … it was as if they had never known what joy and laughter were. None of them made any signs that they had noticed his arrival.

Finally, they entered the plane wreckage.

Jack hovered towards the plane's back exit, into the inside walls of the plane; and within the wreckage, a small group of about ten or so bedraggled people huddled around three small steel barrels, fires burning within. They rubbed their hands together, shivering in the cold. One man was roasting what was probably the only food they'd had in days, and Jack made a noise of sickened disgust – it looked like a giant rat.

Jack had had enough. He left the plane the same way he'd come in, determined to find somewhere else that was more … tasteful. But after about two more minutes of flying, he noticed something peculiar.

A single child sat alone in the dusty pits of the city of nothingness, right in the middle of the cracked road: a blonde-haired girl with a blank, emotionless stare into space etched on her small face. Jack was perplexed. What was a child doing out here, in the middle of nowhere, without any parents?

He landed close to her, realising that she was tied by metal chains to a bent lamppost. Odd … He stared at her for a few moments, and then:

_Sucks to this. I'm outta here._

He hastily flew up and out, leaving the motorway, heading over another road before stopping in mid-air to think. He had to find a way to … where was it he was going? Ping-jing?

Was this another Wuya trick?

He couldn't go there, even if he knew the way. But he had to get out of this city. Normally he loved the colour black and the depression that was associated with the colour – but this was ridiculous. He'd never have thought it before today, but there was such a thing as too much bleakness.

Suddenly the temperature dropped several more degrees; and Jack shivered as he looked down, to see Wuya flying straight towards him, in an upwards diagonal direction. He blinked, completely frozen, as he stared death in the face. But Wuya flew right through him as though he wasn't even there. Jack would have attributed this perhaps to the Serpent's Tail, except it looked like she wasn't using any Shen Gong Wu at all, probably using magic to fly. She was dressed differently too, wearing a bright red dress, stitched with complex and colourful patterns depicting flowers, dragons and tigers. Her head was adorned with a golden crown, which was encrusted with shimmering rubies and diamonds.

_She's sure taking this "Empress" thing seriously …_

He landed, hoping she wasn't in a jing-taking mood. She soared ever higher, moving her head round, scanning the roof-tops area. She must have been searching for someone. She descended, still looking around; and Jack panicked as she looked directly at him again. But she wasn't staring at him, she was staring at something beyond him. She flew towards him again, but completely ignored him as she bent over to pick up a square metallic object, on the floor beside him.

_Does she even know I'm here?_

She let out a quiet, irritated snarl, and stood up, easily crushing the object in her hand, letting the wires and pieces of metal fall to the ground. Jack hovered beside her, tentatively waving a hand in front of her eyes before quickly removing it back again. No response. He stuck his tongue at her, but she really couldn't see him. As far as she was concerned, he wasn't there.

Jack wasn't sure what was going on, but before he had time to get really confused, her head swivelled around until she fixed her eyes on the child in the middle of the motorway. And she smiled cruelly.

Jack gulped. _She wouldn't … would she?_

Wuya's greedy look told him she _would_.

Maybe he could warn the child to get away? It was the least he could do, since it was his fault Wuya was free in the first place. As he thought of this, his mind involuntarily went into deep-thinking mode again.

_I was able to release her from the puzzle-box because I was the one who created it. But if I created it, doesn't that mean I'm indirectly responsible for trapping her inside, too? I don't get it …_

There was no time for his brain to do mind somersaults now, though. Edging forwards ever so slightly, Wuya really did look like she was stalking the child as a predator in pursuit of prey would. But she was taking so long with it that maybe Jack would have a bit of time to at least inform the girl of what could happen if she didn't leave. He flew to her, knowing Wuya (for whatever reason) couldn't see him, and raised his hands, yelling anxiously.

"Hey kid! You've gotta get out of here!"

But the little girl couldn't see or hear him either. Jack reached out to grab the child by the shoulders, but he went _through_ the child, and he toppled to the floor. And, as he looked at his transparent hands and body, it _finally_ hit him.

"Yaargh! I'm a … ghost!"

Well, this was a bizarre twist. All those times he'd made fun of Wuya being unable to do anything because she was a ghost, and now he was one himself. Fate sure had a strange sense of humour.

He tried yanking on the chain, but, of course, his transparent hands would not grasp the solid object. Desperation completely overtook his senses – he wanted, so badly, to help the girl see the danger, but no matter what he did, the child would not – or could not – give him a response. It was the first real time he had been genuinely concerned about someone other than himself. He had called out for Kimiko, even made his own element rise to the surface because of her, but that had been for selfish reasons – he liked her. _Really _liked her. But this – this was to be his first selfless act. The child had to be freed, if only to ease his conscience, which kept telling him: 'This is all your fault ...'

Unfortunately, there was nothing Jack could do. And then – it was too late. Wuya landed, pouncing on her victim, holding her up with one hand, a satisfied grin appearing on her face.

The child looked up knowingly just as she held her up; but she made no effort to struggle. Was she just going to let Wuya steal her jing? It reminded him a little of the impassive way Raimundo had been when she had taken his jing in the courtyard … although this was freakier, because this girl wasn't scared, not at all. Raimundo had been terrified, but the child seemed not to care. A grim acceptance was in her eyes. Jack was horrified. Why had the adults chained her here, anyway? Were these people so used to seeing Wuya doing this that they weren't even bothered by it happening any more?

Suddenly, though, a shocked gasp drew Wuya's attention away from the small child, and she glared heatedly at the person, a brown-haired woman in drab rags, possibly the girl's mother.

The woman gasped again and fell to her knees.

"Please," she pleaded, "have mercy. We didn't know – "

"Quiet, _vermin_. You failed to deliver my tribute. What's more, you sheltered a well-known criminal! This child's life is forfeit."

"Jack Spicer came here of his own accord! But he's no longer here –" the woman spoke in frantic, desperate tones – "he-he left a long time ago, y-your Majesty!"

Jack started in alarm at the sound of his name. He was a criminal? How long had he been knocked out? Wait, that didn't make any sense … How could he have done anything while he was knocked out?

What the hell was going on?

This had to be a dream. Had to be. Or maybe … maybe Wuya had taken his soul after all, and his body had survived by itself, but then he'd managed to escape, and this city was all that was left of humanity …

All that was left? Just how much time had passed …?

Jack's genius mind was definitely doing roly-polies today.

"Silence!" barked Wuya. "I will not tolerate insubordination!"

Wuya and the girl's bodies became white. Jack noticed that, even though Wuya was taking away the child's chi energy, she wasn't wearing the Sun Chi Lantern. She must have figured out how to take chi using magic. When Wuya held her hand over the girl's forehead, Jack knew that she was going to take her essence. The brown-haired woman continued to plead with Wuya, to no avail.

It was horrible to watch; in the space of three seconds, the child grew wrinkly and old, aging whilst still retaining the same size; her skin sagged grotesquely and her hair grew white; then there was nothing but a skeleton; and then the bones turned to dust.

Jack felt sick. That so easily could have been Kimiko ...

The woman broke down in tears, whimpering and sobbing, but Wuya was unmoved.

"Get out of my sight," she growled.

The woman complied, turning around dejectedly in the direction of the crash site. A sparkle from a silver headband she wore on her head caught Jack's eye. Wuya noticed this too, and said: "Wait."

The woman stopped and obediently turned back round.

"What is _this_?" the Empress snapped, pointing at the headband. The woman was shaking, trembling in fear, and couldn't speak, but of course this only made Wuya angrier.

"Where did you get this?" she boomed, yanking the headband off her head.

"I-I g-got it from J-Jack!"

"WHAT?" Wuya roared; and suddenly the woman's body burst into flames. She screamed as the flames ate away at her body, and soon there was a piles of ashes next to the pile of dust.

Jack bit his lip. Because of him, that woman and child had died ... The smell of death was thick in the air.

A grey mist, shaped vaguely like the woman, emerged from the ashes. It was the woman's soul. Wuya drew an arc in the air; when the yin-yang symbol appeared, the grey mist separated into a shining orb and a dark shadow. The shining orb became misty again, and she breathed in this mist, but the dark shadow remained.

Wuya chanted something Jack didn't understand, slicing the air in two with one finger, and a black portal appeared. Jack could hear whispers from inside the portal. Streams of darkness came out, and the woman's shadow followed them, as they swirled around like a tornado, picking up the ashes and dust. Dust in the wind.

Twirling round and round, they gathered closer together, finally solidifying into a 15 foot tall dragon. Sleek and dark, with curved claws and teeth and bat-like wings, Jack knew what it was. A Huai-Ren.

Was this how Wuya created her Huai-Ren? From the remains of her victims?

Jack wanted to leave. He didn't want to see this any more. But the more he tried to leave, the more he found he couldn't. He had no control over what he was seeing or doing any more, which made him think more and more that this was a dream …

He heard more footsteps. Another man walked onto the broken road, and the Huai-Ren turned its head and growled. Wuya stroked the shadow creature gently on its snout.

"What is it?"

The man bowed his head respectfully. He was nervous. Jack wasn't surprised after what he just saw. No wonder those five people had looked so worried.

"I, er, trust you were satisfied with the offering?"

Wuya's eyes narrowed and she growled gently. "Yes. However … in the future I would prefer not to be disturbed," she said.

"Yes, yes, of course … Please forgive me, your Majesty, I couldn't stop her coming, she – "

An imperious wave of her hand told him to shut up. She climbed onto the black dragon's back, and the man looked relieved, as it looked as though she was finally about to leave. But before she did, she cast him one final glance.

"Do you know anything about this?" she asked, her hands now playing with the silver headband.

Her expression was dangerously unreadable, and the man became nervous once more.

"That? It's … a Shen Gong Wu, one that allows you to enter the Dream World – I think."

"That's all I needed to hear," she said. The silver headband vanished from her hands, and she patted the Huai-Ren on the head. "Kill them _all_," she ordered icily, pointing in the direction of the plane wreck. The Huai-Ren opened its great wings.

"Wait, please! You said if I offered you Rebecca you'd spare the rest of us!"

Wuya held a grin that would have put the Cheshire cat to shame.

"I lied."

The Huai-Ren bent down and leaned forward, snapping its mighty jaws shut on the man's neck. There was a bone-crunching _crack_: the man was dead. Wuya absorbed the grey mist that emerged from the body.

Jack felt nauseous again. _Why am I seeing this?_

The Huai-Ren flew to the plane wreck, where Wuya caused an earthquake, to shatter the plane in half. The people poured out, screaming in terror, and tried to run, but there was no escape. One by one, the Huai-Ren swooped down and picked them off; those that the dragon missed Wuya struck down with Lightning. She harvested the souls of the dead bodies.

More footsteps. This time a giant furry panda pawed its way to Wuya.

_As if things aren't bizarre enough already …_thought Jack, who desperately wanted this nightmare to end.

"Was that absolutely necessary?" the panda said. "Spicer will be long gone. It wasn't their fault he chose to hide here."

Wuya snorted softly. "That fool gave away the Silver Headband. I need more _shen _energy to dissolve the charm around the Zhong Float. Besides, they are nothing but insects to me ... and their _gui _make useful Huai-Ren."

The panda stared at her with a sorrowful, almost disapproving look, and she folded her arms.

"You were raised by humans ... that's why you're soft on them. But the humans you knew are long gone, killed by Li Jin - a human, no less."

"It doesn't matter. Each life has meaning, from the tiniest insect, to the greatest blue whale. Sometimes I wonder ..."

Wuya tilted her head thoughtfully. "Wonder what?"

Jack could hear the panda's thoughts: _Did I do the right thing?_

But Wuya couldn't, and out loud the panda said, "Nothing. It doesn't matter. I … should return to the palace."

A bright flash, and suddenly Jack was somewhere entirely different. Everything was blue. He was on an island, and far off he could see other islands, all separated by water. There was no sun, only a blue horizon that seemed to stretch onwards forever.

Jack was completely lost. He had no idea where this was. He tried to fly in a ghostly manner, but ended up jumping instead. Clearly the laws of gravity applied to souls here.

He was just about to crack up with insane laughter on the thought of spending eternity here in the Land of Infinite Islands all alone, when a voice called out his name.

"Jack Spicer!"

He turned around, and saw a Moshu-Ren staring back at him.

* * *

Clay was dreaming of his mother again. That was okay, though. He often had dreams about his mother. The only difference this time was, Omi was in this one. They were both inside his house, on the ranch, sitting at the table. There was loads of plates of food on the table, provided by Clay's mother, who seemed to think that nothing was good enough for her little boy.

"Your mother is most kind," Omi said politely, tucking into some steaming macaroni cheese, "but how are we to find Jack and Kimiko's souls if we cannot control our dreams?"

"I dunno, lil' partner." Clay glanced outside the window. "Maybe if we left the ranch … I never leave the ranch when I dream about mom."

The roast chicken stood up and said: "Could someone help me out here? I'm sweating like a pig!"

A pork chop opened a mouth saying: "Zat an insult or what?"

"Warrgh …" said Omi, dropping his fork on the floor as his macaroni made a wise-crack about his bald head. "The food is talking! Clay, why is the food talking?"

"This ain't never happened before …" Clay said, rubbing his chin.

"That's because we ain't never got our revenge before!" said a chicken leg. "And revenge _will_ be ours, Clay Bailey!"

The food grew larger and melded together, a disgusting mass of baked beans, chips, chicken thighs and legs, pork chops, beef steaks, hamburgers, nuggets, melted cheese …

"I'M HUNGRY!" the food monster roared. "AND GUESS WHAT'S FOR LUNCH?"

Clay and Omi dashed out of the house, leaped onto the nearest horses and galloped away, being chased by … a food monster.

"Not one o' my better dreams," Clay remarked.

* * *

"You – you're a Moshu-Ren!" Jack exclaimed.

"Give the genius a pat on the back!" the Moshu-Ren said, grinning mischievously. He looked a bit like Wuya, pointy ears and wild hair – and yet not like her. For one thing, this Moshu-Ren was male. For another, he looked younger and was a head shorter than her, probably in his mid-teens. His eyes were bright and blue, and he had blond hair. He wore the dark blue and black Heylin robes.

Jack remembered he still had his heli-pack. He was ready to fly away, but the Moshu-Ren raised his hand, and Jack's heli-pack closed by itself. Jack screamed.

"I don't bite, y'know," he said, when Jack didn't say anything else for a whole minute. "I'm not Wuya – I'm not into the whole taking over the world thing."

The shock finally wore off. "I – who are you?"

"My name's Fengqu."

_Fengqu?_ thought Jack. _Haven't I heard that name somewhere before?_

"But my name isn't important," said he. "What's important is that you've finally reached the Streams of Time."

"Huh?"

"I see you're just as dense as you look," Fengqu said, smiling brightly.

"What?" growled Jack.

"Listen. I've watched you before, but this is the first time we've existed on the same time existence frame. Now I can tell you what to do."

Great. Not only was he being watched by those Ping-jing idiots, he was also being watched by one of hag-face's cousins –

"Time existence frame?"

Fengqu shook his head in haughty disappointment. "You could be so great, y'know. One of the greatest geniuses of all time. How can someone so smart be so stupid?"

Jack was irate that this guy was taking the mick. At the same time, though, he had to be extremely careful. He was a Moshu-Ren, just like Wuya. Who knew what other magic tricks he had up his sleeve?

"Are you a friend of Wuya's?" Jack asked, frowning.

"Not exactly … I know her well, though."

Jack's frown deepened. That meant he was from her time period. "Did you come here to kill me?"

"Hell no! Your body's all the way in Ping-jing. Inaccessible to me, matey."

"Get to the point, then! What is it you want? What are you doing here?"

Fengqu pouted, looking insulted. It was clear he thought Jack was the kind of person who could dish out jokes, but couldn't take them himself.

"I'm here because … I'm a Soothsayer's son, apparently."

"Eh?"

This time Fengqu didn't mock Jack's ignorance, because it appeared he didn't fully understand what he was saying either. "Well, that's what they call me in my village. I'm not sure how, or why, but I'm able to travel through the Time Streams while I sleep and dream, watching different events as they occurred in the future … but like you, I couldn't interfere with what happened. I was just a spectator.

"_You're_ here because your soul has been disconnected from your body, and it's drifted through the worlds. The worlds are all connected here, via the time streams, and you've gotten stuck in the middle.

"Now … What you saw in that dream vision there was a glimpse three years into your future."

"So Wuya …"

"Yeah … she took over the world and got the rest of the planet's essences." Fengqu's frown was sad and melancholy. Jack got the feeling that maybe Fengqu was lying and he and Wuya _had_ been friends, but he couldn't be sure.

He pointed out towards the islands. "What are they? Different worlds?"

"Hmm … sorta. Each island represents a snippet of time; and within each island, a river flows. The rivers eventually all join the sea. Time is always flowing, and can't be stopped; however, the course it takes is up to the people within the island, or the time fragment. Understand?"

"Yeah, I think. But why was I in Wuya's fragment? There was nothing I could do to change that. It had nothing to do with me."

"That's where you're wrong, bucko. Didn't you notice the Silver Headband on your head?"

Jack hadn't, actually, but now that Fengqu had mentioned it, he realised that his goggles were dangling around his neck because he was wearing the Silver Headband around his forehead instead.

"The Silver Headband," said Fengqu, "is a very special Shen Gong Wu. When active within a person's dream, it attaches itself to the person having that dream, and transports them to the nearest place – in your case, the Streams of Time. Your future self knew that, and that's why he left the Shen Gong Wu with those people. He knew that you would pick it up in the dream."

Time was a subject that Jack found interesting, and was easy for him, since he could do multiple calculations in his head, understand the existence – and non-existence – of subatomic particles, comprehend the existence of parallel universes … If he hadn't been so busy building his robots, he would have experimented with time instead. But there was still a lot he _didn't_ understand …

"But … doesn't that mean I can't change what happens? If that future never happens, my future self will never be able to give me the Headband, and I'll never get transported here, and then ..."

"Yeah, time is funny like that. Paradoxes and time loops and all that. But you mustn't get discouraged. Just because your future self gave you the Headband from that future, doesn't mean that _that_ future will happen for sure. It's just the future that is most likely to happen, if things remain the way they are now. Your future self will _always_ give you the Headband from the future; but what happens in that future is … up to you."

"So … what's got to change?"

"I don't know, to be quite honest," Fengqu sighed. "I haven't seen _everything_. But you mustn't let Wuya absorb the other elemental essences, otherwise it's game over. There's no way you'll be able to stop her if she succeeds with that."

"There's one thing I don't understand …"

"Only one?"

"Why are you helping _me_? Why aren't you helping Wuya?"

"I've seen the future – my future – and … I know there's nothing I can do to stop it. Some of the actions I took – or am about to take – I … regret doing. But they had to done – otherwise the world would have been destroyed. There's nothing more I could have done. I've even seen my own death, and the deaths of my friends and family. But you … you can make a difference, Jack. There's still time."

Fengqu's last sentence sounded odd, in a place that was overflowing with time.

"I won't be able to come here forever," Fengqu said, when he saw Jack's confused look. "Once a certain point has been reached on my timeline, I won't be able to come here any more. But you've still got plenty of time – perhaps well into your adult years. It's because we're in _your_ present, not mine. My future has already happened, because it's _your_ past …" He trailed off. "This time stuff's a pain in the ass to explain …"

Learning about time was great, but it didn't tell Jack what he was supposed to do next. He definitely wanted to stop Wuya's take-over from happening, though. He didn't want any more people to die because of him.

"Okay … so what should I do now?"

"Find your friends in the Dream World. Rescue the Chosen of Fire from Wuya. And then after that, it's up to you what you do. Like I said to you, letting Wuya absorb the other elemental essences is a definite no-no."

"How do I reach the Dream World?"

"Use the Silver Headband. That's its other function: to transport ghostly forms to the Dream World.

"One last thing … You MUST put a sealing charm on the Zhong Float. It's a Shen Gong Wu that lets you travel through time, and its location is deep within the Water temple. Future Wuya can't use it because of the charm, but it hasn't been done yet in your time. If she gains control of it, it's game over too. Except this one you can't redo by travelling back through time, because she'll control the whole of time too …"

"But in my dream she said that the charm was there …"

"I _told_ you – just because you saw that future, doesn't mean it'll happen for sure. The whole definition of future is something that hasn't happened yet. It's just one possible future."

"Okay – find Xiaolin dweebs, rescue Kimiko, put charm on Zhong Float – got it. Anything else?"

"No, that's it …"

"Uh, thanks, I guess …" said Jack awkwardly. He still didn't really understand Fengqu's reasons for helping him, but Fengqu seemed just as determined to stop Wuya as he was. And Jack would have done anything to get away from those blasted islands. A little strange, but he was starting to miss the others. He liked teasing Omi and Clay, and Kimiko ... He smiled when he thought about saving her. Maybe _then _she'd like him.

He didn't want to be alone any more. Not against someone like Wuya. At least he wouldn't be alone in the Dream World.

"No prob," Fengqu said, shrugging off the thanks. "Just get going already."

"Silver Headband!" And, in the blink of an eye, Jack vanished.

"Dang!" said Fengqu, by himself once more. "I forgot to ask him if he would lend me a robot … Always wanted one of my own …"


	4. Jack and the Bean Stork

**Started: Ages ago. I think April.****  
Finished: 16th December 2005****  
Uploaded: 17th December 2005**

_**Notes:** Not one of my better chapters. It went through a mountain of rewrites, before I got pissed off with the writer's block and totally lost interest. I was still working on other parts of the story in the meantime, though, and I eventually got my inspiration back for this chapter more recently._

_And now I'm alive and kicking again. Because of the work I've done on the other parts of the story, I felt happy enough to upload this one. I just hope it was worth the wait._

_A slow-paced chappie, because Jack's visit to the Dream World is NOT a quick one._

**

* * *

Chapter 3: Jack and the Bean Stork**

There it was – the ice temple. Home of the much coveted map of the essences, and its guardian, Akhlut.

Tubbimura, DarkClaw and Troto the troll began walking up the steps made of ice. Without a Shoka's shape-shifting ability, they would never have made it this far underwater. Tubbimura took it for granted that DarkClaw knew where the ice temple was, but Troto knew that only a choice few creatures knew of the temple's location: deep beneath the freezing waters of the north, in a secluded cave. DarkClaw had been acting strangely throughout the duration of their travels to the temple, and Troto had come to the conclusion that he was getting outside help. Troto wasn't happy with this unknown member of their party, but he kept his reservations to himself. There would be time for revelations later, when they were out of this damned cold.

He allowed himself a broad grin as they reached the top of the stairs, and the entrance stood wide open before them. There was no sign of the guardian, Akhlut. This would be a piece of cake. His face fell, however, when he saw DarkClaw holding his head in his leafy hands. DarkClaw rarely travelled with his hood down, but he had removed it and was shaking his head, moaning in pain.

"What's wrong?"

"Are you all right?" Tubbimura asked.

"Yes, yes," DarkClaw said, waving their concerns off. He sounded as though he was in agony, however. "Go on without me. I'll catch up."

Both Tubbimura and Troto frowned. "Are you sure?" the troll asked.

"Go! It is the cold … It affects us, the Shoka, quite deeply. I will be fine in a moment."

Tubbimura nodded and accepted the answer readily, turning to enter the temple. But Troto had already had suspicions and knew something was amiss.

_He's lying,_ he thought, staring at him in concern for a moment before joining Tubbimura. _That's okay, though. He'll tell us what's going on when he's good and ready … I hope._

* * *

"Blast," Wuya snarled under her breath, "we're in the wrong place."

For her plan to work, she needed to go back to where she'd taken Sando'ip not so long ago. But Befana had been partly right. No matter how powerful she was, she still couldn't control where in the Dream World she'd end up when she went to sleep. Instead of ending up in the Pixie village, they were smack in the middle of the Mengmei Plains.

Not good. The pink Mengmei fog that gave the multi-coloured plains their name covered the entire area, and was already starting to affect her, making her sleepy. She had to keep focused, but she had no idea where they were, and, for the first time since she'd been resurrected, she felt all her cold confidence melt away into a wild flurry of insecurity. Something gripped tightly at her heart, a raw, primitive emotion she hadn't felt since she'd been young; and one she thought she'd never feel again.

Fear.

She shook her head slowly, in an attempt to get rid of her unsettling thoughts. She couldn't think of those ancient times, not now. It must have been the fog, making her reflect on her weak past. She had to keep going forwards, and think of the future. There was no turning back now. She twisted her head around to look at Kimiko, who was being forced to walk behind her. Kimiko glared hatefully back as Wuya stopped by a purple oak tree, on top of a black and white chequered hill, to look around at the misty plains before them and assess their situation.

Kimiko watched the Heylin warrior closely. She could tell by the preoccupied frown on Wuya's face that something was terribly wrong. Wuya had told her this was the Dream World, but obviously things were not going as swimmingly as she would have liked. Kimiko couldn't help feeling a stony satisfaction come over her.

"Don't tell me the great Empress of the world is _lost_," she taunted mockingly.

She knew it was stupid to provoke Wuya. In her mind's eye, she could still see the empty, pitiless eyes boring into her as the witch had taken her essence. She had been inside Wuya's soul, and the encompassing darkness, the voracious, endless hunger that Wuya felt – Kimiko had felt it too. It had been overwhelming and suffocating, and it scared every bit of her. The darkness had had a little taste of her soul, and now Wuya wouldn't be satisfied until she devoured it completely.

But Kimiko was past caring. She had no intention of playing along with whatever Wuya was planning, and it seemed that this Dream World had something to do with it. It also seemed that the Dream World could be her last chance to escape, especially since it was affecting the Moshu-Ren so profoundly. Wuya was going to kill her eventually, whether she taunted her or not. If Wuya was going to absorb her, make her a part of the ever-consuming darkness, then she really had nothing more to lose.

"Not so powerful without your body, are you? Jack was right about you – you're nothing but a washed-up old hag."

"You _fool!_" Wuya hissed, angrily coming out of her reverie. She pulled on the magical rope binding Kimiko with a harsh tug that caused the monk to fall over. She added injury to the insult by kicking her solidly in the stomach. "Relish your freedom while you can, miserable pest," she rasped. "Once your soul becomes a part of me, your body will become mine."

She sneered cruelly as Kimiko made a rebellious but futile struggle on the black-stained grass, within the ropes. It didn't matter that the fog would soon overpower them both. Before long, even this world would be under her full control. But there was something she needed to do first … and Kimiko's disconnected soul would be the key.

Before she could do anything, though, she had to find a way out of these accursed plains. Then she sensed it: the unmistakable aura of a new Shen Gong Wu. Even with her eyes closed in concentration, she could still see a clear picture of the Shen Gong Wu. It was the Rooster Crest, and it was her ticket out of here.

* * *

Walking along a candy rock path, through a small forest of chocolate cookie trees, Jack didn't have a clue where he was supposed to be going. He did know he was in the Dream World at least (the swirling lollipop flowers and pink candy floss bushes were a dead giveaway) but that was all he knew. However, there was something about this place that made him feel … relaxed. There was a fresh mint flavoured breeze, and the trees' leaves blocked out most of the sun's light. It was a marked contrast to the terrible, dismal world of the future and the unusual blue oddity that made up the Streams of Time. It wasn't long before he felt comfortable in this pleasant atmosphere, allowing his mind to easily drift.

He happily munched on some cookies he'd taken from one of the trees. First Cloudstorm had told him he was the one had created Wuya's puzzle-box. Then Fengqu had given him the task to save the future from Wuya's rule. There was that Zhong Float, as well … He was certain he had heard Fengqu's name before, but not from Cloud. Someone else had brought Fenqqu's name up, but he had met so many colourful and weird new creatures in Ping-jing that he couldn't remember who.

Now that he knew about the Streams of Time, he was certain that somehow he would be propelled into the past, possibly meeting Fengqu, helping to seal away Wuya in the box. Except that he'd ruined his own plan by re-opening the box fifteen hundred years later. Was that why Fengqu had tried to contact him now? To get him to travel to the past and change things further? Or was this the way things were to be played out, and he was supposed to defeat Wuya here and now, in the present?

Time travel was too confusing.

Somehow he would have to change the past, enough to prevent Wuya from ruling the world, but not so much that it altered everything entirely – otherwise none of this would ever happen.

Not a difficult task at all, then.

He stopped for a moment to lie down on some fluffy cotton clouds. This place was so … soothing. He'd just rest here … just for a moment …

"Ummmmmm … Don't get distracted, now … You still have many tasks yet ahead of you."

He immediately jumped up. "Huh? Who said that?"

"I did." The speaker was a great white stork, wearing a brown satchel around its body. On a normal day, Jack would have thought he was going crazy, but this wasn't a normal day. In fact, this entire world was far from normal. He'd been half-expecting a white rabbit to come hopping around with a watch in its hand, yelling it was late; instead he'd gotten a stork with a satchel.

The stork strode towards him on its long legs, its S-shaped neck jerking as it did so. It looked down at him with a fatherly expression, as if he'd known Jack all his life. A kind but penetrating glance made him feel as though the stork could see _inside_ him.

"I've, um, been watching you," it said, in a slow, doleful voice.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"You've, um, seen Fengqu in the Streams of Time, haven't you?"

"Yeah – but how did you – ?"

"He's been trying to contact you for a while. Um, I'm glad he's succeeded; now he can concentrate on things in his own time. You, um … know what you must do?"

"Yeah. But … I don't know where to start."

"Take what you find in my bag, and cherish them. Um, they should help with one of your tasks."

Jack reached into the pouch, and almost exploded when he pulled out seven beans of different colours.

"_Beans?_ Is this some kind of sick joke?"

"Do _not_ underestimate the power of magic. Um, they may be small and insignificant now, but plant them in the right place, and they'll afford great protection to any structure. Um, an impenetrable defence that will transcend even time itself, and whatnot."

"_Sure_ they will."

The stork flipped open the satchel with its long beak, picked out a bean and dropped it on the ground. Three seconds later, an entire cookie tree sprouted.

"Woah!"

"Um, er, things work differently in the real world. But all your beans need is faith and loving care; and a good source of water essence. Now, um … the next thing you need to do is reattach your soul … you should be able to find your figurine that way." It pointed with its head down towards the path Jack had been following. "I wish you the best of luck," it said.

Jack shook his head uneasily as the bird took flight. Things just kept getting weirder and weirder. He placed the beans inside his coat pocket, and continued on his way.

* * *

"What are you doing _now_? You're casting too many yinying spells! Troto's already beginning to suspect something is wrong! If we lose Tubbimura we will not be able to procure SilverClaw's map."

"**Ha! Forget about them. They are insignificant."**

"Without Tubbimura, we would not have been able to acquire the Puzzle from the Temple of Balance."

"**True, but you are not looking at the bigger picture. Didn't you want true power? Is that not what you desired?"**

"I wanted … to be greater than a mere village guardian. To leave behind the shackles of my existence as a Shoka, and subdue the dirty humans who infest this planet. But I fail to see how this yinying power aids my cause."

"**Heheheh. Foolish mortal. You shall see soon enough."**

"What are you doing? What is the purpose of this spell?"

"**If you _must_ know … I am disrupting the soul-dream passage from this world. The Xiaolin warriors have entered the Dream World. I shall make sure they _never leave_."**

"You're … crazy. The Xiaolin warriors may be the only ones powerful enough to stop Wuya. We should let them defeat her first, and deal with them later. She is by far the more dangerous threat."

"**I have waited fifteen hundred long years to exact my revenge! I will _not_ let the Xiaolin warriors stand in my way!"**

"You …You wanted Wuya to be resurrected all along, didn't you?"

"… **And if I did?"**

"You … deceived me! That wasn't what I wanted! Your fruitless scheming is going to get me killed!"

"**You worry too much, friend."**

"Do NOT call me friend. We are anything BUT friends. I merely accepted you into my body because I thought I would gain power; but now I see you never meant to keep your end of the bargain."

"**Not true. You shall have the world you desire, but we must rid ourselves of those who stand in our way first."**

"And how exactly are we going to do that? We have just one inactive Shen Gong Wu. That will be _so_ much help in a battle against her."

"**I understand your concerns, but –"**

"No, you don't! You don't have a clue! The Moshu-Ren harbour a great hatred towards the Shoka – and vice versa. If she sees me she will kill me, no questions asked."

"**Listen to me. She is not invincible. Powerful, yes, but not invulnerable."**

"You intend to pursue her, then, until the end of time itself? _Pathetic_. I should never have released you."

"**SHE WAS _MINE!_ MY LITTLE PUPPET TO CONTROL! AND THEY TOOK HER AWAY FROM ME!"**

"… We will not engage in any kind of attack against her until we can determine a weakness. To do so would be suicidal."

"**She is vulnerable _now_, Shoka."**

"W-what? What are you talking about?"

"**She is also in the Dream World ... Her powers mean nothing there, for she is inexperienced and cannot use them on that plane. I sense her fear. This is my chance! I must act now, while she is distracted and powerless!"**

"… Do as you wish. I … don't care what you do any more. I really don't. You seem to decide matters without me anyway, so I doubt anything I say will have any effect."

"**I … apologize for my outburst. But if I succeed, we will have no one left to resist us."**

"Yes, I know … Very well. Proceed … We shall obtain the map as planned …"

* * *

Jack had arrived at a large clearing. He took one step forwards, and suddenly, as if by magic, a futuristic blue dome became visible. The dome was massive. It took up most of the field. He slowed his approach, taking care not to make too much noise as he stepped on candy stick twigs. He wasn't sure if he'd find the others inside, but he'd never know if he didn't look. It didn't seem to have an entrance, though. He touched the metallic walls, but found them to be transparent, so he phased through, just as he'd done in his dream of the future.

He found that the interior was inexplicably larger than the exterior. He was in a wide green corridor, which was – or seemed – infinite; he couldn't see the end, in either direction. He couldn't even see the walls of the blue dome behind him: it was as if he'd appeared here out of thin air. Resigning himself to the fact that he was now probably trapped here, he chose a direction at random, and started walking along the corridor. After all, he was bound to get somewhere if he followed it.

The walls and floor were made of marble, and every few metres along the corridor, there were wooden doors leading off from it. There were glowing inscriptions carved into the wooden signs directly above the doors, golden runes that weaved their way in and out and around the bark. His boots echoed on the floor, and he was once again trying to figure out where he was. Was this another dream? It was so difficult to tell where reality ended in this place.

Each door had two fire lanterns at either side of its sign, illuminating the passageway in a soft, but flickering light. Which door would lead him out of this madhouse? He had no way of knowing. He could be trapped here forever …

Fortunately, the corridor was not as infinite as he'd first thought. After ten minutes of passing doors, he came to an intersection. Another seemingly endless corridor crossed ways with his one at right angles. Directly ahead the corridor became wider, taller and more circular in shape. He continued forwards, entering the rounded chamber. It was enormous, filled with numerous shelves, which were in turn filled with several books. There were also models of creatures, such as dragons, and bottles filled with strange, glowing liquids. This made the chamber seem like a cross between an ancient library and a mad scientist's laboratory, and Jack felt right at home.

A little way from the entrance was a stone dais, with a rather futuristic screen in mid-air. The screen appeared to be a colour-coded map with listed areas, much like a shopping mall directory. He took a closer look at the map, but all he was able to determine was that he was lost. He didn't understand the language, but it looked like the same language that had been on top of the doors.

"You there!" an old, gruff voice barked. "What are ya doin', eh?"

Startled, Jack whirled round, seeing a grey griffin. It was surrounded by around thirty or so little elves. The elves had a similar appearance to the one in Ping-jing, except that where Befana's elf had been firm but helpful, these elves looked like their faces would crack if they tried to smile. In addition, the griffin's eyes were stern and fierce, and a little crazy looking, holding none of the kind wisdom that Cloudstorm's eyes had. Jack felt nervous and unwanted under all those accusing stares.

"Humph," grumbled the old griffin, "a disconnected soul. Haven't had one of _those_ in a while. Still, we've been expecting you, Jack Spicer. Your body anchor's been taken off by a severe loss of jing. I suppose you'll be wanting your gauge?"

"Uh, yeah," Jack bluffed, not entirely sure whether the griffin was genuinely knowledgeable or whether he was just senile. "Wait – you know my name? Seems like everyone knows who I am …"

"Of _course_ we know who you are," said the griffin stiffly, as if Jack should have known this. "We monitor the soul status of every living creature on the planet."

"Wow," said Jack, beginning to realise why the place had seemed so infinitely large. "That must be hard work."

"Elven magic is strongest in this world," the griffin replied, still giving him a hard look. Suddenly Jack had a flashback to one of his school days, where his headteacher had given him the very same look after he had reprogrammed the school computers to play heavy metal music upon start-up. It was the kind of reproachful expression that made you feel guilty and shrank you down to ten inches small: not a nice look.

One of the elves pressed an invisible button in the air, and a screen phased into the air.

"Let's see," it said in a dull, bored voice, reading from the screen. "Jack Spicer. Current status: undefined."

_Undefined?_ thought Jack.

"Spiritual jing is severely depleted and is in need of refilling," the elf droned on, and he pushed a button. A little tiny model of Jack appeared in the air.

"Here's your Hunpo gauge," said another elf, who, thankfully, was a little livelier than the first, although he didn't smile. He gave Jack the model, which was small enough to fit inside the palm of his hand. It was translucent, and contained grey liquid inside. Perhaps this and all the other bottles contained the spiritual essence of every living creature in the world.

"Now leave," said the griffin coldly. "I have nothing more to say to a _human_."

Jack felt anger rise inside of him, unhappy with the way the griffin talked down to him, and there was a time when he would have plotted a nasty way to get him back. But one thing he had learned, or was beginning to learn, was that sometimes it was better to just walk away. He was slowly learning to respect other people besides himself. It had started with Kimiko, this new desire to worry about someone who wasn't himself; but then he had seen all those people in the future, miserable and without hope, and he pitied them. He especially remembered the child. She hadn't deserved to die in that horrible way. No one deserved to die like that. Ironically, by killing all those people, Wuya had shown him just how valuable life was, and as much as he hated the thought of owing Wuya for anything, this _was_ something he had to be thankful for.

So he just let the old griffin be. There was probably a reason why he was being such a jerk. He was probably angry because the puzzle-box had been opened, just like everyone else at Ping-jing had been.

The griffin turned to leave, but the lively elf called him back. "Wait," he said. "While he's at it, he may as well re-hook that young lady's anchor too."

"Very well."

The elf handed Jack another little statuette. "I was expecting her to show up a while before you, but she never turned up."

"This is … Kimiko!"

"Oh, you know her, do you? Even better."

The other elf at the screen typed on an invisible keyboard and brought up a file on Kimiko. "Hmm, her current status indicates that she has no soul. That can't be right …"

"Oh no …" said Jack in despair. "I'm too late … Wuya's already killed her …"

The griffin's demeanour transformed completely, to one of surprise. "Wuya?" he said sharply. "Is she the reason your jing is depleted?"

"Yeah. She took both mine and Kimiko's essence."

"Oh, Wuya," the griffin sighed to himself, shaking his head much like a parent would at a disobedient child. "What are you thinking?"

"That would explain the erroneous deaths of souls we've been seeing, sir," said the screen elf. He turned off the screen.

"Yes, no wonder they vanished so abruptly," the griffin replied. He shook himself, apparently trying to shake himself of uneasiness, and then said to Jack, "Your friend's soul is still alive, otherwise her gauge would be completely empty. But it may be that Wuya still has a claim on her soul. Did she put a spell on the girl?"

"How am _I_ supposed to know?"

"_Oh_. I assumed you were there at the time."

"I _was_ there at the time!"

"Well you're just useless then, aren't you?"

"Shut up!" said Jack, finally losing his temper. The griffin had touched a raw nerve. Jack had already felt helpless watching Wuya take away Kimiko's essence. He didn't need a whiny old feather-bag to tell him how much he'd screwed up.

"Settle down," said the griffin sharply. "You've got the gauges, now, haven't you?"

Jack scowled, and then stared at the two figurines blankly. His bottle was full just under half-way, but Kimiko's was only full one fifth of the way.

_What am I supposed to do with them?_

"Don't you _know_ what to do with them?"

"Um …"

"Refill them?" the griffin said, in a very patronising manner.

_Well, **duh.**_ "But how?"

"Typical _human_," the griffin sneered. "I haven't got time to explain it to you." He sniffed haughtily, and Jack stuck his tongue out at him.

"There are thousands of souls waiting to transcend," said the dull elf. "We deal with dead souls too. There's a particularly annoying sphinx who comes every time Thoth dies, which means we're going to have to solve another riddle – again."

_Ember,_ thought Jack, remembering the sphinx from Thoth's temple. _Heh, she's sure devoted to Thoth. I hope she gives them all an **impossible** riddle._

"Leave, now," growled the griffin. "I have no further business with you, except for when you return the gauges to us."

And with that, he turned his back to Jack and left him, his posse of elves following him.

_He wasn't very friendly,_ thought Jack, as he pocketed the two bottles inside his jacket. _I don't even know **how** to leave this place._

"Hey!"

He turned around, and felt tugging on the bottom of his jacket. One of the elves had remained behind.

"What's wrong now?"

"Mmm … I wanna help you. But I really shouldn't … I'll get it from Snowweaver for slacking off. Then again … You're the most liveliest thing that's happened to this place in centuries. And you _are_ soul-related work."

"Snowweaver?"

"Snowweaver, the griffin. He's really stuffy. He's the reason why everyone in there's lost the ability to smile. Seriously. He put a spell on us to make sure we don't stray away from working with souls but the problem is, it worked _too_ well." The elf tried to smile, but it came out as a twisted, jack-o-lantern grin, with rotted yellow teeth, and Jack held his hands up to shield his eyes from the horror.

"Okay, okay, I get it."

"You said you didn't know what to do? You've gotta re-anchor your hunpo to your body."

"What's hunpo?"

There was a moment's stunned silence. "Don't you know what hunpo is?"

"No one tells me anything these days."

"Yay! I get to explain soul theory to a clueless human!"

It was really rather odd that there was hardly any change in the intonation in his voice when he said this, and his face lacked joyous emotion of any sort. It was difficult to tell whether the elf was really happy to explain the situation to a human or whether he was irritated and just being sarcastic. But Jack suspected it was the former, and that the elf was just incapable of showing the emotion.

As the elf guided Jack through the corridors, he told him how each of the doors led to a different person's dream. He summarised how chi used up the body's jing, but going to sleep replenished some of the jing (which was why it was important for animals to sleep) and then spoke of the souls as they found themselves back outside in the cookie forest.

"A soul is made up of two parts. A heavy, yin half called _po_, and a lighter yang half, called _hun_. The two halves are together at all times, even when the soul travels to the Dream World during sleep. The soul is held together by jing reserved by the body for this cause. This essence is known as spiritual essence. The spiritual jing is kept within these bottles. The soul is also kept from wandering into other worlds by a jing anchor. However, once the body's supply of jing runs out, the physical body dies, and the soul leaves the body for good. When this happens, the soul splits into its constituent parts. The yin side becomes a shadow called _gui_, and the yang side becomes a bright orb called _shen_ –"

_What a chatterbox,_ thought Jack. _ I bet he couldn't **wait** to get out of that place …_

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah, yeah; the soul splits up into shen and gui when the body dies because there's no more jing to hold everything together. Got it."

Jack put his sentences on rewind, as he suddenly remembered something from his dream vision.

_The soul splits up …?_

"Where do the shen and gui go?"

"The shen goes to the Spirit World, or sometimes to the Streams of Time. The gui returns either to the xing xing jing, or goes to the Shadow World to haunt the living. Depends on how vengeful the yin side is. But since Fafnir was defeated, we haven't had many problems with shadow souls. Nowadays the gui returns to the xing xing jing, the planet's essence. The planet's essence is used to make new life, with new jing … and so the cycle continues."

"Okay …" _**Now** I get it._

Jack was beginning to understand the power that Wuya was after. The elemental temples held the xing xing jing, and she'd already absorbed the Wood and Lightning ones. She'd talked about controlling life and death in her palace, and coupled with what he'd seen in his dream … the yinyang symbol … The shining orb and dark shadows he'd seen had been the woman's soul splitting into two halves after dying, and Wuya had been able to control what happened to it … _"Gui makes good Huai-Ren,"_ she'd said.

It all made sense. He now knew exactly why it was imperative that they prevented her from finding the other elemental temples.

_I need to hurry …_

"What about these figurines? What do I do with them?"

"They're enchanted. They're linked to your … status, I s'pose. Each time a new creature is born, we elves monitor the new life, and a bottle of jing is made. Like I told you, the bottles show much jing is left inside the body; that way we can tell how long you've got left to live."

"How do I refill them? That's all I really wanted to know, y'know."

"Oh," said the elf, looking terribly put out, after having explained everything. "Um, you just need to put it inside a Jing Fountain and refill it."

"That's _it_? Why couldn't that old coot have just told me that?"

"He doesn't like humans. He blames them for what happened to his daughter."

"I figured as such. Hmm, so all I have to do is wake up, take these to the Jing Fountain in Ping-jing, and Kimiko'll back to normal in no time. Sweet!"

"Nice plan. Pity it won't work. The Hunpo gauges cannot leave this world. Them being spiritual, an' all. They can't exist on a physical level. Besides, how are you planning on returning to the real world if your soul has no link to the physical realm?"

With so many things on his mind, and with the distractive nature of the Dream World itself, Jack had completely forgotten he was wearing the Silver Headband, so he didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "Where are you taking me?

"A pixie village. They know about the outside layers of this world better than us elves because they're immune to its effects. We're always working inside the Soul-Dream Dome. The pixies should be able to help you find a Jing Fountain."

"Always working? Don't you guys ever get a break?

"Nope. We don't need to sleep."

"What?"

"We're immortal. We don't need sleep because our jing doesn't become exhausted. Doesn't mean we can't be killed, though. Thoth was immortal …"

They came to a stop at a fork, and the elf pointed to the right-hand path which led downhill. "They should be down that way somewhere."

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Don't forget to smile," said the elf as he turned back.

_Heh. I won't._

Jack braced himself as he strode down the path, bottles and beans in his pockets. Outwardly, for the sake of his pride, he tried to look confident, but he wasn't looking forward to meeting the pixies. Not one bit.

**_More notes:_**_ I put this in the Lost Dragon but it's been a long while, so just in case anyone forgot, "yinying" means shadow._

_Wasn't exactly a big plot advancement chapter. More, one of those had-to-be-done build-up ones. Which kinda sucks, considering how long it took to come out. The next chapter has enough action for two chappies, though. I do SO love writing ebil Wuya._

_A lot of stuff has happened on this site since I last updated. Apparently we're not allowed to answer individual reviews in the notes any more. Which also kinda sucks, because I did enjoy doing them. So I'll just say a general HUGE, BIG thank you to everyone who reviewed. (Reviews that come straight away make me leap and shout, "Yay! Someone's actually reading this!" Reviews that come months after the update make me leap and shout, "Yay! Someone's STILL actually reading this!") I'll also make a general statement to anyone who's confused: everything will be explained, in time._

_Since season 3's well under way in the US, I once more have to do the obligatory note on spoilers. Here in the UK we've only seen up to the ep where Omi was turned into a cat (Saving Omi). We have yet to see season 3. **PLEASE DO NOT TELL ME WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. **If I get a review with any season 3 related things I will get pissy and throw an online tantrum. I know my story's gone in a completely different direction to season 2, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue (especially since Chase doesn't feature in this at all), but, still, I have a feeling "yinying" and/or those magic beans might stir up a spoiler or too. Even though I came up with the idea for this, like, last year. (Damned Bean and his bird.) To reiterate: **NO SEASON THREE SPOILERS.**_

_Phew._

_The next chapter shouldn't take nearly as long to come out (especially since the first scene's already done and dusted) but it won't be finished until after the Christmas hols._

_And that just leaves the seasons greetings. Merry Christmas, and a happy New Year, all!_


	5. Shadow of Fear

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Finished: 27th December 2005  
Uploaded: 28th December 2005

Gasp! Update! Season 2 reference for the title, even though none of the season 2 SGW are in this fic. I'd come with the ideas in this chapter ages ago, but the name _really_ fits. Trust me.

* * *

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Chapter 4: Shadow of Fear

Was this real? It had to be a dream, but ...

Crouched down on his knees, Omi was surrounded on all sides by ten figures. He and the figures were lit up, but other than that, there was nothing but darkness.

"You're nothing but a failure!"

"You're no Xiaolin Dragon!"

"You've let the forces of darkness win!"

"Not true …!" Omi said, but all he could feel was his guilt for sending Raimundo astray, and his anger at himself for failing Kimiko and for not being strong enough to defeat Wuya. He didn't think it was weird that there were ten Dashis around him, pointing at him accusingly, even though he'd never seen Dashi in real life before. But each word they said cut into him deeply. The darkness was strong here, its finger-like tendrils growing everywhere.

_Join us,_ the darkness said.

The Dashis continued their verbal onslaught.

"The Dragon of Wind has been turned evil!"

"You couldn't save the Dragon of Fire!"

"Dead?"

"Yes! She's dead! Wuya's taken her soul away! And it's all your fault!"

__

I … no … Kimiko …

The darkness grew stronger, and the tendrils grew larger.

_Become us_, the shadows whispered.

"You weak, useless, _pathetic_ Dragon!"

__

Join us.

Had all his training been in vain?

Dashi seemed to think so. The darkness was growing stronger. The ten Dashis parted, to reveal Omi's parents.

Omi looked up. "Mother …? Father …?"

"You're a disappointment to us, Omi," his mum said sadly, and she buried her head in her hands.

"But, I –"

"You see what you've done? You've made your mother cry!" his father snapped harshly. "You've brought shame upon the temple, and upon your parents!"

"I …"

The shadows grew even stronger.

_Become us,_ they said.

* * *

Water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink. One minute Clay had been with Omi running from the food monster, and the next he was swimming in the ocean. It been hours since then – or at least it had seemed like hours – but for the first time since the endless ocean had appeared, something new had happened. A giant seal, at least twenty feet long, broke to the surface.

Clay immediately swam in the opposite direction, but the seal cried:

"I took your mother away!"

The grey seal now had Clay's full attention. Something unbidden came to mind, a lost memory of childhood that he didn't even know he had. "W-what?"

"I took your mother away! I took your mother away! I took your mother away – and now I'm coming for _you_!"

The seal laughed, a continual, high-pitched laughter that sounded like an alarm clock gone wrong. The laughter repeated over and over again in Clay's mind, even as the seal opened its huge mouth and swallowed him.

_Join us,_ the shadows hissed in the darkness.

* * *

Jack came to a small clearing, where he found odd, tiny cake-houses dotted along the path, little wisps of smoke drifting upwards from each of them. He slowed down and approached them with measurable caution. The last couple of days (and indeed, the last couple of hours) had taught him to expect anything apart from the ordinary.

One or two seconds later, and he found that he had been right to be cautious. Several streaks of different colours came whizzing out of the cakes, all yelling cries of distress. He ducked and jumped to stop himself being hit by one of the moving colours, until one of them, a blue sparkle of shimmering colours, came to a halt right in front of his face and said, "You'd better leave, or you'll be sorry!" in a high-pitched, angry little voice.

He was not daunted in the least, since he had been expecting something of this nature. He was still a little annoyed with the griffin, so he stomped the ground with his left foot and frowned in the most evil way he could, trying to look intimidating. He'd show _them_ not to mess with an evil boy genius. This ploy worked; the blue creature backed off a little, looking scared for a brief moment, before returning to the angry panic.

_So these are the pixies, _he thought, full of curiosity despite himself. He noticed that there was sparkling dust following each of them wherever they went.

The blue pixie was giving him a hostile glare. Most of the other pixies had taken up positions on top of the cakes, and compartments opened up revealing tiny cannons, all facing Jack from different directions. Others sat with helmets and shields and wands, and some had dived behind small bunkers, of sorts. It looked as though he was being confronted by a miniature toy army, and though he was now wise enough not to underestimate the creatures of the magical world, he couldn't really feel threatened by these pixies. They were just too small. Indeed, he found this quite amusing after seeing what Wuya had done to the future. He couldn't help it – he burst out laughing at the little creatures.

"You think you can stop _me_? With _those_ little things?"

"Shut it, you big MEANIE!" the blue pixie yelled, completely outraged that Jack had the cheek to laugh at them. One of his hands was clenched in anger, the other pointed a tiny finger in Jack's face.

"Yeah! Leave us alone!" added a pink one, although far less convincingly than the blue one. She was peeking timidly from behind one of the others, in one of the ditches. "We're ready for you this time! We're not gonna let you get away with stealing!"

Jack managed to stop snickering, although he still had an amused grin on his face. "What are you _talking_ about?"

"You sent _her_ to steal our sleepy powder!" the blue pixie shrieked.

"What _are_ you talking about?" Jack repeated more slowly, shaking his head in exasperation. The way they spoke, they sounded like little four-year-olds.

"Aren't you Jack Spicer? And aren't you with that hideous ghost? Well? AREN'T YOU?" the lead pixie screeched in his ear.

He lost his composure this time, reeling backwards slightly. He stuttered, not quite expecting such a small creature to have such a loud voice. "W-well, I-I … Wait, Wuya was here?"

All the pixies bared shiny teeth and hissed at him.

"Of course _she_ was here – _she_ stole our sleepy powder!"

Jack thought back to when he and Wuya had still been allies. He couldn't remember Wuya mentioning anything about pixie dust, but then she had always been secretive about her ultimate plans.

"I didn't know," he said earnestly, hoping that the pixies would believe him. If anything, he might need their help to find the others, because he didn't know where to start. "I never kept tabs on her 24/7. I told her to stay in my lab. How could she steal your dust anyway? She couldn't hold anything solid."

The lead pixie was frowning (though it looked more like a childish pout) and deliberately declined to reply, until Jack glowered back.

"She came here with the spirit of Sando'ip," the pixie said eventually.

"Sandy? I don't know any Sandy," Jack said, still mirroring the pixie's frown. Just what had Wuya been up to while he'd been out of his lab? He was angry and confused at the same time, and the blue pixie buzzed around him like a glittering dragonfly, examining him carefully, trying to see if there was any truth within his eyes.

"Hmm … the anti-Wuya alarm didn't go off, so ya must be here alone."

"Anti-Wuya alarm? Heh, maybe you guys are more like me than I thought."

"Listen, sissy-boy, just 'cause you're not here with her, doesn't mean we believe ya."

"Look," Jack said, starting to get annoyed, "I just came here to find help. The Xiaolin monks are in this world too, and if I don't hurry, Wuya will take over the physical world. Maybe this one too."

"Isn't that what you _want_?"

"Get your facts straight! I'm not _with_ Wuya any more! She nearly _killed_ me!"

"She should have finished the job! You're not welcome here!"

This really was becoming ridiculous, and Jack had lost his patience. Just how many of these damned magical creatures were going to hold a grudge against him for opening a little box?

Fortunately, Dojo chose that moment to come to his defence. "It's okay!" he yelled, slithering out from under one of the bushes and waving an arm. "He's on our side!"

Suddenly, he zoomed across the clearing into some candy floss bushes on the opposite side; Jack caught a glimpse of the Dog's Nose, which was pulling Dojo straight in the direction of what must have been a new Shen Gong Wu. Dojo crashed into a tree, causing all the cookies to fall down – and a glowing gold bracelet, as well.

"Heh! Found it! Check _me_ out!" Dojo cheered. The lead pixie did another disbelieving pout, but Jack joined in the little dragon's cheers. Finally, a familiar face.

After some persuading on Dojo's part, the pixies finally agreed to let Jack be. The lead pixie said that the nearest Fountain was to be found across the Lake of Woes, and past the Mengmei Plains. Dojo had already been to the Lake of Woes, so he knew how far away it was. He held up the Bag of Tricks, telling Jack that he had gone to sleep at the same time as Omi and Clay. Befana had cast a spell to allow them to bring Shen Gong Wu with them to help, and also one to get them as close to a Pixie village as possible. Upon arriving in the Dream World, Dojo had sensed a new Shen Gong Wu, the Rooster Crest, so they begun searching for it. But unfortunately Omi and Clay had been lost to the Dream World. Two giant white hands had immerged from the Lake of Woes and pulled them into a dream, and the Dog's Nose had forced Dojo to continue the search alone, as another Shen Gong Wu had become active shortly afterwards. And then Dojo had met Jack.

Dojo explained about the newest Shen Gong Wu. It was called the Soul-Dream Bracelet and had the power to separate souls from bodies or other vessels. Dojo was going to ask the pixies if they knew where Hunpo gauges were kept, but, of course, Jack was one step ahead of him, already having Kimiko's and his own bottle in his possession. The only thing they needed to do now was to find Kimiko, and refill the bottles.

"I really didn't expect to see _you_ here," Dojo admitted to Jack after the pixies returned to their cake houses, "though I _am_ glad to see you."

"_Really_?" said a sceptical Jack.

"Well … we weren't sure whether Wuya had claimed your soul too. Your souls have been detached from your bodies – you could have ended up anywhere." Dojo looked around him nervously for a few moments, before turning back to face Jack. "We should get out of here, before she locks onto this new Wu."

Jack nodded, tossing the Bag of Tricks over his shoulder, and soon they had left the pixie village behind, travelling once more through the peaceful forest. Dojo coiled himself around Jack's shoulders, pointing out directions to Jack. He had already been to the Lake of Woes, but he also knew where he was going because he was sensing _another_ Shen Gong Wu in the same direction as the Lake, the third Shen Gong Wu to become active in this world. Both hoped it would be the last. The Dog's Nose was bopping up and down in Jack's hand and was a bright red colour, which meant that this Shen Gong Wu was nearby.

"We didn't get the Rooster Crest," Dojo said, as Jack used his heli-pack to hover over a small stream. "Wuya must have found it by now. But at least we got the Soul-Dream Bracelet. That one's far more dangerous in Wuya's hands."

Jack nodded, knowing all too well what Wuya could do with souls. He asked, "Couldn't we just use that to reattach mine and Kimiko's souls to our bodies? It works in reverse too, right? Or do we need the Reversing Mirror?"

"No, it's like the Changing Chopsticks; a second use restores things. We _could_ reattach your souls with the Soul-Dream Bracelet and the Shining Darkness in theory, but your essence still needs to be replaced, or you'll both die an early death. Might as well do it while we're here."

They stopped as they came to the edge of the forest. They had reached the Lake of Woes. To Jack, it looked just like an ordinary lake, but by now he knew there had to be something more to it, and he became cautious again. The Dog's Nose was going crazy in his hand, but, until he actually used it, it wouldn't pull him to the Shen Gong Wu. Dojo frowned as Jack held the Nose up, looking down at the water. The Scarf was in the water somewhere, but …

"The Scarf of Scares is in there, somewhere," Dojo said to Jack slowly, keeping his grip on the Soul-Dream Bracelet. "I'll keep the Soul-Dream Bracelet and wait up here. When you find the Scarf, use the Dog's Nose again, and it should take you straight back to this Bracelet because it's only just went active."

"You'll be okay by yourself, up here?"

"Yeah … But you should be careful. This is where I lost Omi and Clay."

"What, and you just left 'em here?"

"Well, the Nose dragged me off before I could do anything. They'll be okay; they're just dreaming. Everyone's soul drifts to this lake when you go to sleep or fall unconscious, I think. Pixies and a few other magical creatures are immune to it, though. That's why they get pixies and griffins to tend to stuff in this world. I think this Lake is linked to a big Dome place."

_Oh, no. I don't wanna go all the way back there. _"What about Wuya?" Jack asked, latching onto the immunity part.

"No, Moshu-Ren aren't immune. Then again, you never know with Wuya; she might have cast some spell. Anyway, make sure you avoid giant hands."

"Okay … Well, let's get this over with."

Jack activated the Nose, and it pulled him down into the water. There was no splash, however, and no wetness … No water whatsoever. Everything went black as he touched the surface, but still Jack held on as hard as he could, letting the Nose take him to the Scarf of Scares.

Abruptly, the Nose stopped, and just as suddenly, Jack found himself sprawled on a cold floor. He saw that he was inside what appeared to be a small wooden cottage. And sitting across from him was – Wuya! She was in her Heylin robes, sitting crossed-legged with her eyes closed. It looked like she was meditating.

__

Oh, **great**. I must be in another dream …

Just to make sure, he got up onto all fours, with his knees on the ground; balancing on his right hand, he reached out with his left and waved it in front of her face, like before, to see if she knew if he was there. _Her_ right hand shot out and grabbed his wrist; and she stood up, forcing him up as she did so.

__

Crap, it's really her! Not that it wasn't her before …

"What do you think you're doing, boy?"

He gulped. Every part of him froze in place when his eyes met her glower. He noticed she was wearing a dull grey scarf around her neck.

__

The Scarf of Scares!

"… You can see me?"

"_Obviously_," she snapped, although it appeared she didn't know what he was getting at.

"So … this isn't a dream?"

"Have you finished being a jackass for the day? Or am I going to have to pummel the stupidity out of you?" Before he could answer, she added, "You _do_ realise you're wearing the Silver Headband? And that you can use it to teleport to any area of the Dream World?"

"I, uh, knew that." _I just forgot …_

"Then what are you waiting for?"

"You to let go of me!"

"Just use it!" she barked.

"Fine …" he conceded. He wouldn't make the same mistake again. Deliberately making Wuya angry was what had got him into this soul-detached mess.

Dojo was waiting for Jack to reappear on the surface with the Scarf, but squealed when he saw Wuya appear on the edge of the lake with him.

"Ugh … the _pest_. Don't interfere and I'll let you live."

"But – this is the Dream World! W-we can't die here, we're just souls – and you don't have your powers!"

"_Heh,_" she sneered. "If that's what you truly believe, then you're a bigger fool than I thought. But perhaps I should enlighten you." She drew something in the air with her free hand, which Dojo recognised as _yinying_. Dark tentacles emerged from a portal, grabbing him and yanking away the Soul-Dream Bracelet. Jack could have sworn there were voices coming from the portal.

__

Join us, little one. Become us.

Jack shivered.

Dojo shrieked as the tentacles slowly constricted. He attempted to grow to his larger form, but couldn't; something was blocking his ability to do so.

"No!" yelled Jack. He couldn't bear to watch Wuya kill someone else before his eyes. He turned his head round to face her. "Let him go!"

"Only if he promises to keep still," she said.

"Do as she says, Dojo," Jack said nervously. They couldn't save Kimiko if they were dead – and that portal of darkness was just _freaky_. But Wuya was still holding his wrist, and until she let go, he wouldn't be able to escape with the Headband … Better to wait for her to drop her guard.

"Ok-ay," Dojo choked. "I-I give …"

She waved her hand, and the tentacles and portal vanished. Dojo went to pick up the Bracelet, but said nothing more. Jack breathed a sigh of relief, but then Wuya smirked, and Jack instantly felt nauseous. Wuya's smirks were never a good sign.

"I _was_ going to ask those wretched pixies where the gauges are kept, and then destroy their _pitiful_ little village," she said, smiling with artificial sweetness, "but it seems you've saved me a trip." For a minute, he thought that she was after the Shen Gong Wu in the Bag of Tricks, but she reached inside his coat to pull out Kimiko's bottle.

"H-hey! Give that back!" he shouted, struggling to get free.

"No sudden moves," she ordered, her eyes narrowing again into a glower. "If this bottle smashes, Kimiko will die, and I get to absorb her soul."

_Dammit…!_ Jack growled in his thoughts._ I should've tried to jack Wuya's bottle from that Dome place – **then** I would have been holding all the cards._

"H-how did you know I had that?" he asked, trying to stall for time.

"What did you think I was doing down there? Sensing for _your_ gauge? Although … it feels as if you've got your own gauge too …"

Wuya closed her eyes. Jack's panic grew, as he had no idea what she was doing. Casting another spell? He reckoned it would be a good time to try something, since her eyes were shut. He was about to bite her hand, grab Dojo and teleport the heck away, when her eyes flew open and she gasped.

"Your soul," she said, releasing his wrist, "it's –"

"It's what?"

She gave him the very same all-knowing look that Cloudstorm usually gave him.

"_What?_" Jack repeated. It was irritating being gawked at like a specimen in a zoo, and he wished everyone would stop doing it. Cloudstorm had done it, that Bean Stork had done it and now Wuya was doing it. There was nothing like a soul-penetrating stare to creep someone out – especially when the person doing the staring was Wuya.

She pointed at the Headband. "You can keep it; but don't lose it."

"_Huh?_" said Jack, looking like the world's largest question mark.

Dojo gathered up the courage to speak. "Wait – is that the Silver Headband?"

"You're quick on the uptake," Wuya said mockingly, and Dojo shied away, behind Jack's legs. "You might want to use it to save your friends," she said to Jack.

"What! What have you done to them?"

"Nothing – for once. They're just dreaming. But I'm sensing a presence from the lake. At first I thought it was part of this world's warped design. The Mengmei Fog can sometimes bring unwanted memories or feelings to the surface. But I can still sense the darkness _here_, even though I'm no longer on the Mengmei Plains. I can _feel_ it; it's blocking the passageway between this world and the mortal realm for Omi and Clay. They may not be able to leave this place without outer intervention. Put simply, they'll never wake up. They'll be in eternal slumber, while their souls remain here forever."

"What do _you_ care whether they leave or not? And how do I know it wasn't your fault in the first place?"

For a second – just for a second – Jack saw something strange on Wuya's face. Fear? The look vanished as soon as it had come, though, to be replaced by the usual cold arrogance. Her hand glowed white, and Kimiko's bottle also shimmered briefly, before flickering back to normal. And to Jack's complete surprise, Wuya handed the bottle back.

"There; I've relinquished my claim on Kimiko's soul. You may have her, no strings attached – but only _if_ you can find her."

"Why? Why the change of heart, all of a sudden?"

"As I said, this world sometimes brings unwanted things to your attention. Here, thoughts become reality, reality becomes distorted, twisted … Things which are normally as clear as day become obscured by the mists of uncertainty, and likewise, things which are usually hidden away by the physical realm are dragged to the surface."

"Would it kill you NOT to speak in riddles, for once?"

"When you opened the puzzle-box that day … I could have left and joined someone else. But you seemed to share my goals. What's more, I sensed something in you. And now I've discovered exactly why I was drawn to you." She patted him affectionately on the head. "Which means, sadly, that I cannot kill you. You're too important to my plans."

"I'll be sure to throw a celebration party when I get back home," said Jack sarcastically.

"Good for you. Meanwhile, I have business to attend to." She removed the Scarf from around her neck and wrapped it around Jack's neck. "You'll need this," she said simply.

This reflective, non-killing Wuya was, quite possibly, the most mind boggling thing that had happened to Jack thus far. It was certainly up there on Jack's Why Fate Is Out There Somewhere Laughing At Me list.

"Wha – ? _Why_ are you helping me?"

"Tick, tock, Jack. The longer you take to figure out what you're supposed to do, the harder it will be to implement it."

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" Dojo said, despite his own fear. He wasn't comfortable with Wuya's sudden helpful nature either. She was plotting something.

"That there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"Oh yeah? _We'll see about that_," Jack snarled.

"Go ahead: just _try_ and stop me," she said uncaringly. "You'll give up, soon enough, once the going gets tough. Raimundo fell before me; the rest of you will soon follow."

"The other monks'll never give up so easily," Dojo growled, his faith in Omi so strong it gave him the confidence to challenge her.

"The other monks don't concern me," she replied simply. She bent her head down, as if reconsidering something, and then looked up at Jack with a serious expression. "Don't let the darkness overtake you, Jack. You're not strong enough to handle being evil. No one is," she said quietly, "not even _me_."

Jack just raised an eyebrow at her cryptic comment. She waved her hand to make a picture of Kimiko appear in the air inside a magical blue mist.

"As you can see, Kimiko is on the Mengmei Plains. Use the Silver Headband to get there – but beware the Mengmei Fog. When you inhale it, it brings memories to the surface, and in so doing, makes the darkness stronger. Perhaps you have a Shen Gong Wu in that Bag to help."

"Is this a trap?" Jack asked bluntly.

"No," said Wuya, just as bluntly. "I intend to keep you alive. I believe you will need the help of your friends, too. But once your purpose is served, I will reconsider. So I would run along, if I were you. Time waits for no one."

Jack was vaguely surprised to see her form flicker ever so slightly before vanishing completely. Only vaguely surprised because there wasn't much more that could shock his already worn out system.

"She must have woken up," Dojo surmised.

"That was _weird_," said Jack, frowning at the spot where Wuya had been. "What the hell what that all about?"

"Haven't the foggiest. She's acting so different to the way she was when the Grandmaster was fighting her – she would have been more cautious and cagey. She could have easily killed you all in her palace, but she didn't. She should have just killed us both now. Or killed our souls. For her to just let all these Shen Gong Wu get away like that …"

"Cagey she still is. Maybe fifteen hundred years inside a box gives you time to rethink your strategies. Or maybe it's because Dashi's dead … and she just doesn't see any of us as a threat."

_That can't be the whole story, though,_ he thought uneasily. _She **was** ready to kill me before … what changed? What is it that everyone sees in me that I can't see myself?_

Dojo sighed. He could see that all of this was taking a huge toll on Jack's already frayed nerves. Jack was no longer the arrogant genius who knew everything. He was now a bundle of anxiety who had found that the only thing he did know was that he _didn't_ know everything … and that discovery had turned his world upside-down.

"Jack," he said gently. "I don't understand this any more than you do. But Wuya was right about one thing. We haven't got time to sit around and think about it. Let's find the others first."

"Yeah, okay," said Jack, managing a little smile. He could do this.

"We've got just the Shen Gong Wu to get past the Fog," Dojo said, pulling out a mask in the shape of a dragon's head from the Bag of Tricks. "This is the Dragon's Mask. It'll let you breath normally in the Mengmei Plains."

"_Sweet_," said Jack, rubbing his hands together. "Time to save Kimiko."

* * *

Kimiko was sitting comfortably, against a tree she was tied to. She had given up trying to break free of the magical bonds Wuya had put on her. She just had to hope that one of the others would come rescue her, but until then, she would rest right here. The Mengmei Fog was making her far calmer than she would normally be, and so she just let herself drift off.

Suddenly, as clear as day, a memory appeared.

__

Raimundo sat cross-legged on the grass outside, a nearly full moon shining high above him. Why did he always seem to think that everyone in the whole world was against him?

"Hey, Rai …"

She sat down next to him. "I'm sorry about what happened …"

A sigh, and a dismissive shrug. "I was expecting something like this to happen. It's cool."

"It's not cool! How can you be so relaxed about all this?"

"Hey, my family always used to treat me like a second-rate loser. Why should Master Fung be any different?"

She rolled her eyes. "Master Fung doesn't think you're a loser."

"He thinks I'm stupid, that I shouldn't have gone after Mala Mala Jong myself …"

"Would you quit with the self-pity? We all make mistakes. But our strength of character is shown by how well we overcome the consequences of those mistakes."

"But … I'm not strong … Not like you … "

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I thought that I'd be able to handle all this discipline, all this training, but I can't. I feel like I've reached the end of my tether …" He stood up suddenly, fists clenched. "I can't take this much longer …"

Kimiko looked up at him, scowling at him slightly. She remembered the pure resolve she'd seen on his face when he'd been facing Tubbimura in the showdown for the Shroud of Shadows, the wilful, stubborn knowledge that he was going to win, and refused to believe that this was the same Raimundo. He had worked hard to overcome his mistake that time; why should this time be any different?

"You can't give up just like that. You're strong, Raimundo. Stronger than you know. That's why Master Fung wants you to meditate. You just haven't realised where your true strengths lie yet; and you're trying too hard to prove yourself … You need to let things happen naturally."

"Maybe," he replied, looking up at the moon. "But, it was still dumb of me to attack Mala Mala Jong …"

"**I** thought you were brave, Raimundo. Most people would have run from Mala Mala Jong."

He still wasn't convinced, and Kimiko could sense this. It would probably be best to leave him alone. This was the kind of thing he had to figure out for himself. She got up. "Look, it's late … I'll see you in training tomorrow, okay?"

She left, returning to the warmth of indoors, and there was another sigh, accompanied this time by a sad, melancholy expression.

The memory ended, but the unwanted emotions immediately rose up again. A nice blend of guilt, sorrow, incomprehension and anger, all rolled into one fat mess of negative feelings.

__

Why, Raimundo? Why? Why did you leave us?

Kimiko hugged herself tightly and closed her eyes, feeling alone once more.

__

I miss you …

* * *

Jack used the Silver Headband, followed by the Dragon's Mask once he arrived in the misty fog. He immediately beamed. There was Kimiko, right in front of him! She was sleeping – or at least unconscious, as they were already sleeping in this world. She was floating like a balloon, tied to a tree by a pink string.

He ran towards the tree, but in his eagerness, he failed to notice a giant black hand erupt from the ground behind him. The hand grabbed his leg, and pulled him into the ground.

All he could see was darkness, after that. He couldn't even see his hand in front of his eyes. There was a bemused cackle from in the shadows. He whirled round but could see nothing – except the damned darkness.

"Tell me, Jack," Wuya's cold, poisonous voice rang out, "what is it you fear the most?"

He stepped backwards, as he suddenly found he could see himself again. But everything else was still dark, as if he were inside a picture and the entire background had been painted in a gloomy black.

"Is this … another dream?"

Jack could _feel_ Wuya's smirk on him, and he shivered again.

"Oh, _no_, Jack," she said from the shadows, voice full of false pleasantry once more. "This isn't a dream. This is your eternal nightmare. And you fell right into it."

A trap.

__

Stupid, stupid, stupid! I should never have believed her!

"You're no evil villain."

Jack was insulted by this somewhat unexpected statement. "I am so!"

"Then why do you fear death?

"I … I … _What?_"

"If you were truly evil, you would embrace the darkness … you would not run away from it. You would accept that sacrifices must be made. Insignificant insects need to be squashed, otherwise they become irritating nuisances. Some people _deserve_ to die."

"No … you're wrong! No one deserves to die," Jack said shakily. He fell to his knees as he saw the woman from his dream of the future appear, the one who had begged Wuya to spare her daughter's life.

__

No, not her … Anything but that …

"Is that so?" Wuya replied, stepping forwards, out where Jack could see her. "So if this woman was in your way, stopping you from conquering the world, you wouldn't kill her?"

"Of course not! What kind of sicko do you think I am?"

Jack winced and whimpered in horror as the woman burst into flames again. "Stop, please! Why are you doing this?"

"To make you _see_. You do not have the killer instinct within you. You could _never_ be my equal, Spicer."

"I …" His eyebrows creased in confusion. "But I never wanted to be."

"You're no villain," she repeated, this time scolding him instead of mocking him. "You're just a pretender. There's no way you're evil. You're too soft-hearted. You have _feelings_," she spat in disgust, "and you care about what happens to others. What kind of evil villain _isn't_ evil?"

__

She's right … I'm **not **evil, am I? I'm … a failure. I 'm not cut out to be evil. I'm not ruthless enough. But I don't know how to do good … I … should just not do anything … I should just … give … up …

What was this place? So cold, so empty, so dark … It felt like all hope was being drained out of him. All of his resistance was being taken away, to be replaced by a dull acceptance … He felt just like the people in his dream had looked.

"Yes … just let the darkness take you … no one can save you."

The rasping voices of the shadows came again. _Join us … become us …_

"You're nothing but a spineless coward. How could you even _dare_ to think you could stand up to my power?"

Wuya's words sounded hollow, as if they didn't matter. Nothing mattered. There was no point. Wuya was far too powerful; not even Omi had been able to get close to her. How on earth was _he_ supposed to fight her? He'd seen the future, and Wuya ruled the world in that future. What was the point in struggling against something that was going to happen anyway?

Jack let the darkness take him away. And the shadows laughed.

* * *

That was bloody depressing. And weird. I had Clay get eaten by a seal. I'm not quite sure how that Kim/Rai stuff got in there. Oh well. Fast update, because I had a huge bulk of it done already.

Next chapter: The Yinying Bird. Season 3 reference, too, but it kinda fits, as well (though not as much as this chapter's one). I like titles that involve wordplay or have double meanings, as you can probably tell. Oh, and thankee, all, for the reviews.


	6. The Yinying Bird

_**Original finish date: 25th February 2006  
Intended upload date: 26th February 2006  
Revised finish date: 13th March 2006  
Actual upload date: 14th March 2006**_

Uh, yeah. That's a lot of dates.

The vast majority of this is Jack (surprise, surprise). The first bit kinda reads like a poem, I guess. Make of it what you will.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 5: The Yinying Bird**

It was too easy. It really was.

Sweet-talking her way into getting some pixie dust. Luma Luma, the giant.

Just a few sprinkles on Drongo. The wyvern guarding the pavilion.

Now she was up to her ears in Shen Gong Wu.

Far too easy.

Waiting in the undergrowth for her … A malicious grin, with shiny, perfect teeth.

"Excellent," he said.

Far too easy.

* * *

"C-cold …"

Darkness all around … Nothing but cold and evil, slowly enveloping a lost soul, slowly eating away its memories …

"P-please … some-one … h-help …"

A shivering empty soul, trapped within a bubbling cocoon of night for the rest of eternity …

"T-the c-cold … m-make it s-stop … p-please …"

Bleak shadows … pervasive, intrusive, all-encompassing … it wouldn't be long until the soul became a part of the darkness …

And then, out of the blue, a whoosh of feathers drove the cold away. Harsh words forced the darkness to retreat. There was the sound of glass smashing. Suddenly, the soul could breathe again, and it rested against the soft feathers, finding peace from the cold at last.

* * *

'_Wake up, Jack!'_

"Just five more minutes, mum …"

'_I'm not your mommy, fool!'_

_Huh?_

Jack felt a prickling but soft sensation all over his body, like a blunted needle being pressed gently against his skin. He opened his eyes, and shrieked when he saw a huge black bird with an odd purple glow towering over him, pecking at him with its beak.

"I'm not dead! Shoo, go away!"

The purple-black crow immediately flew off him in a fluttering flurry of wings. Jack sat up, feeling elated. The darkness was gone! He could feel the warmth spread back through his body again. He checked himself for injury, but he seemed to be okay. He still had the Bag of Tricks, and the Scarf of Scares that Wuya had given him was still wrapped around his neck.

He had trouble discerning where he was now. Before, he had been completely surrounded by darkness. Now he was in a desolate wasteland, where everything around him was a dull monochrome of withered trees and parched earth. It looked a lot like what Wuya had done to the earth, but … wasn't this the Dream World? Had he been taken back to Earth?

And, more importantly … how had he survived?

A harsh, croaking caw made him realise that the crow hadn't left. He frowned hard at it, but the bird just stared back eerily.

"What …? Go away, you annoying bird. Um … please?"

The gigantic crow did the exact opposite, and bounded towards him, having a somewhat curious air about it.

"Arrgh! Please don't eat me! I taste terrible!"

'_Humph. **This** is the thanks I get for rescuing you?'_

"Wuya?" Jack exclaimed in surprise, instantly recognising her croaky voice. It echoed telepathically through his mind.

'_Yes. This is the yinying world,'_ she said, _'and I sometimes take this form when I come here – but if you'd rather I was in my normal form …"_ Quick as a flash, she morphed into her regular self, black dress with untied hair.

Something odd came over Jack. He shivered at the sight of her humanoid form, falling to his knees as the cold swept through him once more. Waves of ill heat followed, a terrible fever overtaking him, and he convulsed and vomited, collapsing on the floor.

"What's _wrong_ with you? Am I too late?" she whispered to herself, sounding unusually horrified. "Did they already turn him?"

Jack didn't make any attempt to fight when she knelt down beside him and placed her palm on his sweaty forehead. She closed her eyes and focused hard. To her relief, his soul was still intact. But the cold fear had returned – something had triggered it, had caused the darkness to reappear.

"They're coming back," she said, looking around wildly at her surroundings. The living shadows seemed to be returning, turning everything to darkness again. "Even though I ordered them to leave you alone." She looked back down at Jack. "You're letting your fears control you. You mustn't!"

"C-can't … p-please … cold …"

"Ssh," she said softly, drawing on his damp forehead. He continued to mumble incoherently, his eyes glazed over. "It's okay. I'll help you …"

The white magic washed away his fears, and suddenly he felt much better, his mind clearer and sharper than before; and, faced with Jack's new-found confidence, the shadows retreated once more. They hated courage, and they despised light.

He sat up straight, and shuffled away backwards from her. "Get away from me!" he screamed angrily, wondering what on earth she was up to.

"And how do you expect to escape from here without my help?"

"Help? I don't want any help from _you_!"

"Perhaps I should have let your soul rot in the darkness, then!" she snapped.

"What?"

_So she saved me … But why? Why did she …? Second thoughts?_

"I don't understand what you want from me," Jack sighed. "I don't understand you at all." He pulled his knees towards his chest. He was tired of playing Wuya's cat-and-mouse games. "You confuse me so much …"

It seemed, however, that she wasn't playing around this time. "C'mon," she said, pulling on his arm to try to get him to stand up, "we have to get out of here! Before _he_ comes!"

There was urgency in her voice, as if there was impending danger, but Jack was so tired of everything, so fed up of the weirdness, the torture, and his ignorance towards everything that he didn't say anything for a while, and he didn't bother to move, his arm dropping limply when she let go. He didn't know what to do any more, so he would do nothing.

Nonetheless, Wuya was as impatient with him as ever. "What's the _matter_ with you? I don't have time for your gutless stupidity, Jack!"

"What did you do to me?" he asked coldly, completely unafraid of invoking her wrath. He looked up at her with a hostile glare and pointed to his forehead. "Another trick?"

"Is that what's bothering you? It was healing magic. That's all. To perk you up and remove all your fears. It makes you willing to fight, no matter what. That sort of thing. This world can be quite depressing."

"Oh, yeah? Didn't _you_ create it?" Jack said snidely, standing up and taking a deep breath afterwards.

"Why do you say that? This world existed long before I ever did."

"Seems like the kind of thing you'd do."

"Touché. But Nu Wa created this twisted world. Not me."

_There's that name again,_ thought Jack. _The more I hear about her, the more I feel like I wanna punch her lights out. Why isn't she helping us fight Wuya?_

There was a pause, where it seemed to Jack that Wuya was sensing for someone.

"Where's Kimiko? I can sense Omi and Clay nearby, but there's no sign of Kimiko."

"Eh? Don't you know where she is?"

"Wasn't she here with you?"

"No!" he snapped, refusing to hold back any anger now that the fear had been magically scrubbed out of his system. "I was just about to reach her at the tree, and then there was all this darkness – you brought me here!"

"I had nothing to do with this!" she yelled, matching his anger with her own vehemence. "Think about it – why would I be here helping you if I was responsible?"

"I dunno – to screw my mind over?"

"You _moron_. You know nothing about me. If I wanted to tear your soul into tiny emotional shreds, I would have done it far more _slowly_ … Besides, I …" She stopped and looked away shamefully, as if she did not want to admit what she was about to say. "I need you alive. I can't afford to lose you to the darkness."

Something wasn't quite right here. This was conflicting with what she'd said in that very same darkness.

"But – you said … I should _let_ the darkness take me …"

"What? I said no such thing. I told you not to let the darkness overtake you. Remember?"

Wait a minute …thought Jack.

In the darkness, Wuya had taunted him with the image of the woman she'd killed in the future. But how could Wuya even know about his dream of the future? How could she know what he'd seen? The present-her hadn't been there with him at the time.

"You … didn't see my dream, did you?" he asked cautiously.

"What are you talking about? _What_ dream?" For once – for once – Wuya wasn't hiding anything devious behind a false mask. There was nothing but genuine confusion in her eyes. "I was searching for Shen Gong Wu, with Kimiko, on the Mengmei Plains," she said slowly, "I couldn't have witnessed whatever was in your dreams … Just what are you getting at?"

"But I saw you just now," Jack insisted, "and you'd seen my dream … unless …"

They both exchanged glances, both realising the same thing at the same time.

"It wasn't really you …" he surmised.

"Ah! Now I see," she said, at the same time. "I'm one of your deep fears. While I'm flattered, it doesn't exactly aid my current cause. No wonder you reacted so badly when I transformed back. But, yes, what you saw wasn't really me, merely a manifestation of your greatest fear. The yinying spirits of this world feed upon lost souls by bringing their worst fears to life. They weaken them by showing their worst fears, and then they strike … turning the soul into one of them by feeding on all their positive emotions. It's a way for them to amass their forces. Surely you've heard their whispers?"

Jack shuddered a little at the memory. _"Become us,"_ they'd said. If Wuya had been any later, he _would_ have become one of them. But, even if Wuya hadn't sent him here, there was still something bugging him.

"And what about that portal you made when we met in the Dream World? You were going to feed Dojo to those spirits, weren't you?"

"Had you not complied … Yes, I would have. That slimy lizard means nothing to me." She sighed when she saw Jack's horrified look. "It's true that I command the yinying spirits. To them, my word is law. But that doesn't mean they won't act on their own initiative. They cannot go against their nature. If a soul is foolish enough to trespass into this realm, they'll attack. The only way you're going to survive is if you stay with me. They won't attack if I'm nearby, especially now that I've cast that spell on you."

Jack looked sceptical, hesitating for a few moments. It was only natural, really, after everything Wuya had put him through. Why should he trust her?

"I didn't bring you here. I swear. But I _am_ going to get you out of here," she declared, forming a spherical mass of purple darkness in her hand, "and I'll take you back using force if I have to."

"Okay, okay, I believe you," he said quickly, raising his hands in defence. "No need to get excited. If you want to bust me out of here, I'm not gonna complain."

And that was how Jack found himself riding on top of a large crow, something he never even imagined he'd be doing, even in the Dream World. He smiled a little as he let the wind sail through his hair. The magic was having a definite effect, as he didn't feel any reason to fear Wuya. The doubts were there, yes, but if she was lying – well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. He wondered if this was the reason why she'd put the spell on him after all, to make him go foolishly with her … but she seemed on the level, at least for the moment. She was certainly agitated about something, not wanting to spend more time in the Yinying world than she had to. She was not her usual composed self: something was clearly bothering her, and this troubled Jack.

What could scare _Wuya_?

* * *

To Jack, this was feeling a little like old times, when he and Wuya were working together, because although Wuya was quite edgy, she also began to complain about his weakness and taunt him about his fear of the dark. Jack could tell by the playful mirth in her voice that she wasn't really angry with him. More, amused – but it was a light, sincere amusement, not the dark, predatory glee he'd seen in her palace.

_She must **really** need me for something,_ Jack thought darkly, as he remembered how much pain he'd been when she'd taken his essence. _She's being nice to me._

"Ugh. Your feathers are so coarse," he said in disgust, still frowning. "Couldn't you have turned into something more – eye-pleasing? Though, on second thoughts, I guess turning into a swan wouldn't fit into your witch image, would it?"

Jack had the odd feeling that Wuya had been offended. _'Crows are – misunderstood,'_ she said a little shortly, sounding serious and pensive at the same time. _'They are despised and feared, when really they are nothing more than just nature's refuse collectors.'_

"Yeah? Well, you know what? They're _bossy_," Jack counted off on his fingers, "and _noisy _– and _nosy_ – and – woah!"

A blast of lightning whizzed through the air in front of Wuya's black beak, making her stop so sharply that Jack almost fell off.

"What the heck was that?"

'_Look, down there,'_ Wuya said in his mind.

It turned out to be Omi using the Eye of Dashi to fight what Jack thought looked like grotesque, miniature versions of Wuya's Huai-Ren. They had him surrounded, but each time a blast from the Eye connected, the creature would vanish in a puff of smoke.

'_Hold on tight.'_

Wuya swooped down, coming to a stop to hover just above Omi. She growled words in an arcane language, and the little shadow demons bowed to her as one and scampered off. Omi looked up as she landed, eyes wide in surprise at the huge bird above him. Before he could react, she grabbed him in her beak and took flight once more.

"Arrgh! Crow! Let me go!" Omi yelled, squirming around in a worm-like fashion.

"It's okay, Omi," Jack said happily, waving down at him.

"Jack Spicer?"

Wuya loosened her grip, allowing Omi to climb onto her back, with Jack's help.

"Boy, am I glad to see you, Omi!" Jack cheered, overjoyed because he wasn't alone any more. It was weird, but he was happy to see a familiar face. At least they could face whatever lay ahead together.

He held Omi up into a hug, and Omi grinned wryly. "Yes, Jack Spicer, I am most happy to see you too."

'_I must admit – I am somewhat relieved to see you survived as well, Omi.'_

"Wuya!" Omi hissed, switching into attack mode as if he was a Jack-bot, and pointing accusingly at the back of her head. "I thought you were one of Jack Spicer's robots! What are you doing here?"

'_Flying,'_ she said matter-of-factly. _'And helping you, it seems.'_

"NO! You would never help me! This must be a trick!" Omi decided. Before Jack could stop him, he fired the Eye of Dashi into Wuya's back. Jack moved to activate his heli-pack to prepare for a potentially nasty fall, but fortunately Omi's actions hadn't sent them careering down to the ground far below them, as the blast was completely absorbed.

"Wha - ?" said Omi, completely flabbergasted. Jack was just relieved they weren't all a mushy paste on the ground.

'_Lightning is my element,'_ she said in an "isn't it obvious?" tone, _'so a tiny bolt like that is hardly going to affect me, is it?'_

"Let us go, witch!" Omi growled in frustration.

'_You can go back to fighting those shadow creatures for all eternity if you like,'_ she said dryly.

Omi tensed, and then pouted. He looked a little tired; Jack figured he must have been fighting for a long time, and, skilled though he was, he couldn't have fought them off forever. The short monk looked around wildly, trying to see if there was another way out, but he couldn't exactly jump off – it was a long way down.

Jack sighed.

_Better calm him down before he does something else "heroic" …_

"It's okay, Omi. Kimiko's safe. Wuya's letting her soul go." _At least, I think she is, anyway._

"But why is she helping us?" Omi demanded, very much still angry with Wuya.

'_Let's just say it's in my best interest to do so at this current point in time,' _she replied.

Omi scowled, not happy with this development. He went on to say that he would never work with the forces of evil, but when Jack explained that the only way to escape the Yinying world was if Wuya opened a portal, he agreed to temporarily put up with Wuya – albeit grudgingly. Jack added that Clay was in this world too, and he probably needed help; and Omi couldn't abandon his team-mate.

"How did you escape your nightmare, Omi?" Jack asked. "I couldn't even _see_ the yinying spirits."

A thoughtful expression came across Omi's face. It had been hard for him to face angry jeers from the person he admired the most, and, in fact, he wouldn't have escaped at all if he hadn't been startled into using the Eye of Dashi by a demonic one-eyed squirrel.

"I – was startled, and I used the Eye of Dashi … it revealed the evil spirits' whereabouts and dispelled the illusion."

'_But you hardly seem affected by the darkness at all. You're as excitable as ever. I don't think I'll need to heal you like I had to heal Jack.'_

Wuya was right, Jack noted. Omi still looked like he was ready for action, despite showing signs of weariness. It was just like him, really. He wouldn't need a pick-me-up spell to be recklessly courageous. He was like that anyway. He would never give up until his very last breath.

'_You are as pure as your Chosen element,'_ Wuya told him. _'It was probably difficult for the yinying spirits to turn you completely to darkness. Nonetheless, I am still impressed that you escaped from your illusory fears. I … have never known anyone to do so, not since the creation of this land.'_

Jack thought he could detect the tiniest hint of admiration in her voice, and found it strange. He frowned as he looked away, feeling an ugly green monster grow inside him. He'd never gotten any appreciation from Wuya like that …

_You're strong, Omi. I wish I was as strong as you._

Omi usually lapped up compliments like a thirsty dog – by default, he'd agree with anything that praised his skills – but here he seemed not to know what to say to Wuya's words. She was the enemy, after all, and in Omi's black-and-white view of good and evil, villains weren't supposed to be _nice_. Jack, too, had been struck silent by her, though he was lost in envious thought. So, for a while, nothing more was said.

* * *

Clay hadn't been as lucky as Omi. Jack could see the shadow spirits with jaws clamped all over his body, clinging onto him like leeches. Wuya uttered the same harsh otherworldly commands to rid him of the parasites, and at her words, an invisible force-field around Clay shattered like glass. Unlike Jack, Clay seemed to recover faster from the yinying spirits' attack. Though he had a pained expression, he stood up almost immediately, instead of lying unconscious like Jack had done. When Clay saw Omi he smiled weakly, and, when Wuya returned to her normal form, his reaction to her was much better than Jack's. Like Omi, he adopted an attacking stance as soon as he recognised her. This made Jack wonder what Clay's deepest fear really was; certainly not Wuya, at any rate. Thankfully, Clay was far less impulsive than Omi, and he accepted the situation more readily than he had – perhaps he just wanted to get away from the yinying creatures as fast as possible too – though he voiced several doubts as well.

"Wuya didn't bring us here," Jack said to Clay, as Wuya swiftly moved to open a portal to the Dream World with the word _yinying_. "She was in the Mengmei Plains with Kimiko the whole time. To send us here, she'd have had to open the portal right next to us – she couldn't be in three places at once. Unless she had the Ring of Nine Dragons. Which she doesn't."

"And we took the Golden Tiger Claws from Raimundo in Ping-jing," Omi nodded. He directed a furious scowl towards her, pointing at her suspiciously again. "But she could still have used black sorcery to pull this off!"

"I did not, I assure you," she snapped, annoyed that they were still standing there talking. "Now, quickly, get in! You can discuss this after we've left this wretched world."

"But," said the logical Clay, "if you didn't bring us here, then who did?"

"**I did."**

"What –?" said Jack. "Who said –?"

Grey smoke sizzled in front of the group, and a viscous black liquid poured down from an invisible source in mid-air, hissing like steaming water. Swirling around like a vicious tornado over a tempestuous sea, the liquid and smoke gathered together, and slowly solidified into a black dragon. With dark sleek skin, and curved horns and claws, it looked like the world's biggest Huai-Ren. The ground shook, a wicked rumble of laughter, and Jack suddenly wished that his soul had had the sense to bring one of his Shen Gong Wu with him into the Dream World, like Omi's soul had done with the Eye of Dashi. Then he remembered that Wuya had stolen his Sunbird Down. He didn't _have_ any Shen Gong Wu on him, other than the ones in the Bag of Tricks … and the ones he'd found in the Dream World.

Wuya growled, a low animalistic snarl of pure hatred. "_Fafnir_. I thought I smelled your foul stench nearby."

"**Now, now," **he said chidingly. His deep, sinister voice echoed throughout their minds, much like Wuya's had, and his mouth didn't move when he spoke. **"Is that any way to speak to your former master?"**

_Former master?_ thought Jack.

"He is the reason you're all here," she said, clearly struggling to keep the anger out of her voice. "He had the ability to open yinying portals as well. I wasn't one hundred per cent sure it was him … and yet, somehow, I knew all along. Who else could it have been?"

"**It's been a long time, Wuya."**

"Not long enough," she said coldly. "Quickly," she said to the others, as Fafnir prepared to hit them with black fiery breath, "go through. I'll take care of him."

Though Clay and Omi hesitated a little, Jack definitely didn't need telling twice, and the three boys ran towards the gateway back to the Dream World. But with a flick of Fafnir's pointed tail, the ground cracked open, and everyone stumbled. The portal vanished, and Fafnir fired at the group, but Wuya erected a shield to defend against the dark flames.

The giant dragon sniffed out loudly in annoyance, blowing out purple-black smoke from its right nostril like a steam train. This action reminded Omi of the Sapphire Dragon.

"**You are protecting them from my darkness?"**

"For now," Wuya said.

"**How _sweet_."**

Creating a sword in her hand with magic, she seemed to fly over the ground as she charged at him, and she leapt high, aiming clear and true for the dragon's neck. A bat-like wing swatted her from the side before she could reach her mark, though, but she flipped backwards and landed easily on two feet.

Omi, Clay and Jack watched on, unsure whether to get involved or not. After a moment's pause, Omi and Clay both held out the Eye of Dashi and the Longi Kite respectively, and Jack wondered whether there were any Shen Gong Wu he could use. But he didn't have time to search through the Bag of Tricks, so he frantically went through a mental checklist of the Shen Gong Wu he knew he did have. The Dog's Nose was out of the question, the Silver Headband was useless here in the yinying world, Wuya had told him; and the Soul-Dream Bracelet separated souls … what use would that be? The Dragon's Mask – no good either.

He had the Scarf of Scares that Wuya had given him, though …

He pulled on both ends of the grey Scarf with both hands, frowning in determination.

_I can be strong too! _he thought to himself. _I want to fight._ _Here goes nothing._

But, just before he was about to use it, Omi called out the Eye of Dashi's name, and Wuya immediately looked back at them. She shook her head slowly, and the meaning was clear: don't interfere.

She turned around and glared at Fafnir, and he appeared frustrated as he took a couple of wary steps back; perhaps he hadn't reckoned on Wuya putting up so much of a fight.

"**You shouldn't be able to fight … Didn't you feel the darkness?"**

"Oh, I felt it," she said quietly, eyeing him with cautious tenacity, "but I'm not the same person you once knew. I'm stronger now. _Far_ stronger!"

"**Sheer force means nothing. You're only in a spiritual form! Your powers are supposed to be sealed!" **he roared, making the ground rumble with his sheer fury.

"And you're supposed to be dead!" she exclaimed, her own words shaking through a crescendo of incredulity as she fought to keep her temper under control. It was difficult to tell who hated who more. "How can you possibly be alive? I killed you!"

Fafnir took another few steps backwards. **"Perhaps that Shoka was right about you after all … Perhaps I should have waited before I attacked …"**

"Which Shoka?" Wuya hissed, but he dissolved into a gelatinous puddle and oozed into the ground.

"Eww …" said Jack.

"Huh. That was easy," said Clay, as if viscous dragons emerged from the ground every day. Jack couldn't figure out how the guy could keep so calm all the time. It was possible that Clay's nightmare, whatever it had been, was the only thing that he was truly afraid of, but Jack didn't know him well enough to be sure. "Looks like ya scared 'im off."

_Wish I could be that unperturbed about things,_ Jack thought to himself.

"He's all talk," Wuya said carelessly. "He has no real power."

_Then why were you so afraid of him?_ Jack thought uneasily, knowing how anxious she'd been to leave, and how angry she'd been at Fafnir's arrival.

_You're so hard to understand …_ he thought, frowning sadly at her, and then he caught himself. _Wait a minute – why am I even **trying** to understand her?_

_She tortured me, almost killed me, took away Kimiko's soul, and stole all of our elements. And then she saves us from that Fafnir guy …What's her game?_

Not for the first time, Jack wished Wuya was more open with her true feelings, but he knew that there was no way she'd ever reveal her true thoughts.

He sighed, looking at Omi, Clay and back at Wuya again, each in turn.

_Courage? Composure? Trust? _

Jack wished he would stop wishing for things he could never have. It must have been the spell, forcing him to want to fight. Each of the others had their own way of fighting. Omi was bold and daring, and very strong; Clay was passive but methodical, still powerful in his own way. Wuya was secretive, and trusted no one. Because of the spell, Jack _wanted_ to fight ever so badly, but he also knew that he lacked the ability to fight like the others, and so he was yearning to be stronger. Though, if Jack was being honest with himself, these feelings of self-pity had always been there within him. The magic was just giving them a boost.

"Shoka?" Clay queried, after Wuya mentioned something about finding the Shoka responsible for all this, and making them pay. "Ain't they supposed to be the good guys?"

"Indeed," said Wuya, folding her arms. "It appears SilverClaw has some explaining to do."

"What – you don't think SilverClaw had something to do with this?" Clay asked, sounding incredulous.

"No, of course not. But I'd be surprised if she didn't know anything about it …"

_Hmm …_

* * *

The group returned to the Mengmei Plains via one of Wuya's portals, and then, with Kimiko-balloon in hand, Jack used the Silver Headband to teleport everyone back to the spot where he'd left Dojo – who had become a shaking mass of nerves from worry by now. The little dragon went from yelling for joy at the sight of all the Dragons reunited, to shrieking in terror at the sight of Wuya. While Clay tried to persuade Dojo that Wuya wasn't going to attack them, Jack tied Kimiko's pink string to a low branch of a nearby chocolate cookie tree.

"I couldn't save her," Omi said, staring at her floating body sadly. "I was not strong enough …"

Jack wasn't sure what it was; maybe the spell was affecting him in more ways than one. He was certainly feeling particularly thoughtful. Or maybe … he was finally coming to realise what it was like to have feelings – to have friends. Whatever it was, he couldn't help feeling sorry for Omi. He couldn't help feeling that he had to cheer him up, too.

"That's not true, Omi," he said, placing a hand on Omi's shoulder. "You're the strongest person I know. Kimiko never stopped doubting that. When you were frozen, she kept saying she'd find a way to heal you, no matter what. You just need to have the same faith she did."

"Thank you, Jack," Omi said, smiling up at him. "That is … most profound."

"Humph," said Wuya, completely unmoved. "She'll be back to normal in no time; all you need to do is visit a spiritual jing fountain. There should be plenty of them in this world."

Omi gave her a long, hard look. "Do you not even feel the slightest bit of remorse for what you have done?"

"Of course not. I'm evil, remember?"

"Quite," said Omi.

"Do you think I care what a little runt thinks?" Wuya said coldly. Omi growled, Clay frowned, and Jack sighed.

"All right, simmer down, you two," said Jack, deciding to act as referee. He turned to Wuya. "Wuya," he said seriously. "Can I ask you something?

"You can," she said shortly, "but make it brief. I hate this place, and I want to leave. The sooner I wake up, the better."

"Amen," said Clay.

"The yinying spirits… they're completely under your control, right?"

"Yes …" she replied slowly, unsure of where Jack was going. "I told you this before."

"And you turn them into Huai-Ren?"

She started, showing a rare moment of surprise. "Who have you been talking to?"

"Many people," he said evasively. He had figured it out himself, but still, if he hadn't seen Wuya create the giant Huai-Ren in his dream, the unemotional elf's words about souls wouldn't have made much sense to him. He didn't want to add the elf to Wuya's list of people of kill. "I just put two and two together."

"You're being uncharacteristically astute, Jack. Perhaps I put too much power into that protective spell. But, essentially, you are correct."

Omi made an "Oh!" noise of understanding. "So that is why the yinying spirits disliked the Eye of Dashi. They are weakened by lightning too."

Wuya nodded, with a small sigh. Jack looked at her shrewdly; Lightning was her element. Perhaps that was why she could control them.

"The yinying creatures," he went on, "are what the gui – or the dark, yin – half of the soul can become after you die. But any soul can become them, if their soul is completely turned to darkness, right?"

"If a living soul is turned to yin – or darkness – in the yinying world, it can become a yinying spirit. That is why the yinying spirits try to get you to give in to despair and darkness through your fears and nightmares. I told you this already, as well, Jack. What's your point?"

"I'll tell you. Why did Fafnir transport us to the yinying world? Why did he want to turn us into yinying creatures if we'd just be under your command?"

"I don't know," Wuya admitted, "but his appearance changes everything. I realised when I sensed your soul, Jack, that I couldn't kill you. However, I didn't know for sure that the dark presence I was sensing was Fafnir. But now that I know Fafnir is alive … I won't let him turn any of you into yinying spirits."

"Why?" asked Omi, genuinely confused.

"Because, little Water Child, he and I are mortal enemies. You turning into yinying creatures is precisely what he wants. And if that's what he wants, I'm not going to let it happen – I promise you."

"Does that mean you will return to us our stolen elements?" Omi asked, clearly itching to hit Fafnir with the full force of his Water element the next time the black dragon showed himself.

Wuya scoffed. "Absolutely not! We're still enemies. Once I kill Fafnir, you're all canon fodder again, as far as I'm concerned. But I didn't take your elements away permanently. A trace of them still resides within you; they are a part of you. If you really want to get your elements back, all you need to do is visit the elemental temples."

"That's pretty much what SilverClaw said," said Clay.

"Your elements will help against Fafnir, which means … I shall have to forego my vengeance on SilverClaw."

"_Lies!"_ hissed Dojo from underneath Clay's hat. "Lies, lies, _lies!_ It's gotta be a trick! Wuya hates SilverClaw!"

"I hate you too, worm; and yet _you're_ still alive."

Dojo's reply was lost under a layer of mumbling grumbles.

"You want the powers of the other temples too, though, don't you?" Jack said, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

She shrugged. "SilverClaw's the only one who knows where they are. Because Dojo's memory is like a sieve."

There was an angry "HEY!" from Clay's hat.

"But it doesn't matter," she said, indulging in a cat-like smirk all of a sudden. She gave Jack the insect-under-the-microscope look again – though this time it was far more menacing – and then she turned to leave."You run along, children, and help your friend. She's coming to. I'll leave you to tend to her."

Once again, Wuya was right; Kimiko was waking up. She moved around, stirring, and as her eyes fluttered open, the pink rope she was tied to dissipated, and she fell to the ground. The three boys rushed to her, and helped her to sit up. She appeared to be unhurt, just tired and disorientated, and she managed to stand up, to Jack's relief.

Jack was worried that Kimiko would jump the gun like Omi had done when he had seen Wuya, but when he looked around, he saw that Wuya had gone. Instead, a crow was on the ground – this time, the normal size. It cawed twice loudly, then pecked at the ground, picking up something golden and shiny in its beak. And, with a burst of flapping wings, Wuya was gone.

While Omi and Clay were delighted to see Kimiko awake and unharmed, Jack felt uneasy about Wuya's last words – and in particular, that smirk.

_What's she planning now?_

* * *

I tend to liken Wuya to a predatory cat, but for this chapter I definitely drew some inspiration from the carrion crows of Hampstead Heath. Carrion crows are bossy, fearless opportunists – as illustrated by the cheeky daredevil who stole my friend's sandwich right out of his hand one day. Although they're completely black, they have a kind of purple-green hue on their feathers if you see them up close. You can find them during the day, perched atop the rooftops on my street and in the surrounding area, overseeing their territory. They like to stare at you from above, with an eerie "I'm watching your every move" gaze. They're also _very_ noisy at times, but they tend to be solitary; they prefer to work alone.

I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who reviewed. This was actually supposed to be out, like, ages ago. And then, just when I was about to upload it, my computer went and transformed all the text into wingdings. Irreversibly. Meaning that I had to redo most of the chapter from scratch. The way this version was written – the words I used – well, they're quite a bit different to the first finished version. Luckily, I still had some handwritten notes, so the main bulk of the dialogue remained intact, as did the ideas and Jack characterisation I wanted to convey. The crows were a big help too; it isn't too hard to write about a crow when you see them all the time in the park at lunchtime. (Better them than pigeons. Can't stand the little rat-bags.)

Uh, yeah. I think I've said enough … Don't really know when the next chapter's coming out. The wingding incident has delayed things quite a bit. I guess it'll come out when it comes out. I must confess to being distracted somewhat by the new season 3 episodes on CN UK. I watched "Hannibal's Revenge" this morning, and I was glad to see that Wuya fights as well in the show as she does in my fanfiction. At the time of chapter submission, we in the UK have caught up to America with episodes. It's possible we may overtake the US with today's episode, so I'm getting excited – there's no way for the next episode to be spoiled for me if it hasn't even been shown in America. Go CN UK.


	7. A Brief Interlude

Well, I'll be damned.

An update.

It's about bloody time, isn't it?

* * *

**Chapter 6: A Brief Interlude**

It was already late in the afternoon when Jack finally woke up, though the ordeal he had gone through made it feel as though much longer had passed. Thankfully, the trip to the spiritual Jing fountain had proved to be relatively uneventful. All he and Kimiko had to do was fill their bottles up, after which the bottles had vanished, probably returning to the dream elves' shelves, and immediately after, Jack had blacked out, coming to inside one of the houses in Ping-jing.

Nonetheless, Jack had come to the decision that he never wanted to sleep again, not if he could help it. He didn't even wait while his parents jolted into life at his awakening; he sat up to get his bearings and, ignoring his father's jubilant cries, leapt up and ran downstairs. Did the others make it back safely?

The answer was yes. There was cheering all round, as the villagers had made a huge group to celebrate the safe return of the Xiaolin monks. Omi's parents were there, and Jack recognised most of the magical creatures – many of them had been out for his blood the day before. Long and Bai Hu were also present, though they were standing a small distance away. Cloudstorm was nowhere to be seen, however, and Luma Luma, the large giant was missing (_Probably guarding that crazed thunderbird_, Jack thought). In the middle of the crowd was a huge Omi grin, flanked by a comparatively reserved Clay on one side and a rather nonchalant Kimiko on the other.

Feeling left out once more, Jack cast a frown at the floor, but this time Omi noticed, and he ran over to Jack, taking his hand and pulling him along.

"Wait! What are you doing?"

Omi beamed as he guided Jack back into the middle of the crowd. Many of the creatures growled in hostile discontent at Jack, but Omi quieted them with a showy motion of his hands.

"We could not have helped Kimiko without Jack," Omi said to all of them, "so, please, do not think ill of him."

"Yeah," nodded Clay, directing a rare smile towards Jack, "he really came through for us." Kimiko rolled her eyes, not liking to be seen as the weak damsel in distress, but she reluctantly agreed that Jack had turned out to be useful after all.

"He should still be punished. The last person to steal the puzzle-box was sentenced to imprisonment for all eternity!" This was a unicorn – the unicorn who had yelled at Jack the evening before.

_Oh, JEEZ_, thought Jack. _Don't tell me they're **still** upset with me …_

"Ah, well," said Long, "that was hundreds of years ago. Jack wasn't the one who stole the box, was he?"

Dojo grumbled to himself. If only his father had always been this forgiving – then maybe he wouldn't have had to leave Ping-jing at all.

"Jack is no longer on the side of evil," said Omi, pouting at the creatures stubbornly, "and he is my friend, so you should all welcome in him with open arms."

There were several deliberating murmurs, and then the unicorn said, "Well … a friend of Omi is a friend of mine, I suppose." Jack was never really one for herd mentality, but he was glad of it in this case. Once that one unicorn agreed to give him a chance, the whole crowd followed suit.

"But, I've got my eye on you," the unicorn added. Long made a speech about welcoming Jack, the newest member of the Xiaolin order, and then at Long's request, most of the crowd dispersed, leaving Jack and the others alone for the moment.

Jack immediately turned to Omi. "Thanks for sticking up for me, Omi."

"You are most welcome."

"_Uh-huh_," said Kimiko, frowning at Jack and Omi as they both smiled, "and since when were you two so buddy-buddy?"

"Many turvy tipsy things happened while you were with Wuya," said Omi.

"Well, Jack certainly gets my vote for coming up with such ingenious anti-Wuya equipment," said Bai Hu. Jack almost thought he was wearing springs underneath his paws, because he bounded towards them with energetic enthusiasm, like a great, galloping bear. He came to a halt, so close to Jack that his whiskers tickled Jack's face. "I'll have fun training _you._"

Jack started. "Train me?"

"Your element's Metal, isn't it? Omi told me how you made a sword appear from thin air. SilverClaw retrieved it."

"Oh, y-yeah," said Jack sheepishly. He'd completely forgotten that Bai Hu was the Guardian of the Metal temple, and, between the disturbing, terror-ridden nightmares, and the tasks that had been given to him by Fengqu _and_ the strange stork, Jack hadn't had time to think about what he'd done in Wuya's palace. There wouldn't have been much point in dwelling on it anyway, because Wuya had taken away all their elements, but now … it was just beginning to sink in. He had an element, just like the others! And he'd made a sword with it. How cool was that? Suddenly, he felt very pleased with himself, and he couldn't stop a grin from appearing.

"What?" said Kimiko, creasing her eyebrows in thought as her mind went backwards through her recent memories, trying to sift all through the jumbled, chaotic events that had occurred to her ever since they'd entered Wuya's palace. Raimundo had attacked her, in a crazed, possessed state of mind; then Wuya had taken her essence, had promised to kill her … but then Wuya had let her go … The Mengmei Plains … A dream about Raimundo … She couldn't remember Jack having a sword.

"Jack made a sword appear? From thin air? When did _this_ happen?"

Long came back to the group, carrying the very same sword. "Not bad, for your first try," he said to Jack. "Not bad at all. SilverClaw was able to use it to good effect. But you won't be able to strike Wuya with it, I'm afraid. Not on its own, she's seen to that. Still, you may yet find a use for it." Carefully, Long handed the sword to him.

"Cool!" said Jack, like a child eager to try out a new toy. He grabbed the hilt with both hands – and crashed to the ground.

"It's … frickin' … _heavy_ …"

"Your arms are just weak," said Bai Hu, though not unkindly. "It's all in the technique. Either that, or you put too much steel into it when you created it. Most swords aren't meant to be _too_ heavy; it defeats the purpose."

_How the hell did I lift this up before, then?_

…

_Whatever._

"What do you say, Jack? Would you like to train under me?"

"Sure," said Jack, his voice muffled by the soft ground. "Not really sure how a tiger can do swords training, but what the hell. I've seen stranger things."

"Well, it's settled. We'll leave for the temple first thing in the morning. Heh, heh. I can't wait."

"NO!" exclaimed Mrs Spicer sharply, surprising everyone, most of all Jack. How long had she been there? She stormed in closer, with Mr Spicer not far behind. "He's not going anywhere!" she snapped at Bai Hu, as if it had been _his_ fault all this had happened. "Absolutely _not_! There's those – those _things,_" she said with a shudder.

_The Huai-Ren, she means,_ thought Jack, standing up.

"And – magic – and _you_ creatures," she said, pointing to Long and Bai Hu, "and goodness knows what else out there! I won't have my son running around playing with dangerous swords, getting mixed up with this – this magic nonsense! I won't stand for it!"

Jack's mother had always been the practical type, never believing in things like magic and fairies – and this was why she had been so angry with her husband for pursuing what she thought was a silly, pointless cause – so it must have been a shock for her to see that things like unicorns and fairies really existed. Still, if her outburst had revealed anything, it was that she was worried about him after all.

"Quit making a scene," he said coldly, more coldly than he'd really wanted; but then he'd never had a warm relationship with his parents. "You're embarrassing me. You've never had a problem with me building dangerous robots."

"But …!"

"As long as it kept me inside the house, you didn't care what I did." Jack closed his eyes tightly, remembering what he saw in the future. "But you can't keep me cooped up inside that house forever. I _have_ to leave. You understand, don't you?"

She still looked angry, but Jack could tell that her anger was distant, not directed at him. "They said she'd taken away your essence … I … when I saw you in that bed, lifeless, not moving … I realised how helpless I was, what a fool I'd been." Was she angry with herself?

"So now you're trying to overcompensate for your years of neglect by shutting me away from the world? That's your answer, is it?"

"Jack … I don't want you to leave because I'm afraid. Look what she did to you! She could kill you next time!"

"For the longest time, I've shut _myself_ off from the world because that was the only way I knew how to communicate. But now … I have a chance to find out what I'm capable of. I can make a difference, mum! I really can. And … I'm the only one who can. After all, I know Wuya better than most. I've also seen what she can do, what she's capable of. I –" he looked back at Omi and corrected himself "– _we_ have to stop her."

"Let him go," said Mr Spicer, shrugging offhandedly.

"Oh – well," she snarled, anger returning in full force, "you _would_ agree to send him off, wouldn't you?"

For a moment he looked at her sharply, and she started. She wasn't used to seeing him with such fire in his eyes, but almost immediately afterwards he sighed. She relented, waiting patiently for him to speak.

"It's my fault he was involved," he said, running a hand through his hair, "but still, he was the only one able to open the puzzle box. Did it ever occur to you that he might be the only one able to put her back? And, if he wants to make himself stronger, why should we get in his way? We should be encouraging him to be a man, to go out into the world and take life's challenges."

Jack snorted to himself. _Ha! Be a man._ Now his father was starting to sound like Clay's dad. Like Clay's dad, though, he at least had the grace to apologise when he was wrong.

"If he trains with me he'll be able to defend himself better," Bai Hu intervened, in a rare moment of seriousness. "Your home isn't safe any more; and here – well, if Wuya should ever escape, what's the first thing you think she'll do?"

"She'll raze the entire place," Kimiko said grimly, though Jack and Omi exchanged doubtful glances, still not entirely sure what to make of Wuya after she had saved them. She'd desperately wanted to get to Ping-jing, but one had to wonder _why_, especially after what she had done in the Yinying world.

However, Clay narrowed his eyes, indicating that the cowboy still didn't really trust Wuya, no matter what she may have said. Jack nodded to Clay, silently acknowledging that he agreed, and then said, "Wuya's up to something, I know she is. Don't you think it's better if I prepare for it?"

"I don't want you to fight against her," his mother stated quietly, her eyes full of fear now.

"You must not worry, mother of Jack," Omi said, "I will personally see to it that Jack receives the training he requires. Of course, he will never be as good or as talented as me," he chuckled, as if this fact should be obvious, "but I will help him with his training until he is at least _adequate_."

"Hey …" frowned Jack, but he was smiling on the inside. Here was a person whose ego rivalled his own. "I don't need your stinkin' help!"

"Oh, yes, you do," said Omi haughtily. "In many, _many_ ways." This brought a smile to Clay's face, and Jack pouted.

Jack's mother looked down at Omi suddenly, as if she'd only just realised he was there. "You're … Jack's friend?" she said slowly. It looked like it was taking a lot of time for her to process that information. Of course, she wasn't the only one surprised – Jack, too, was rather astonished at the degree of loyalty Omi was showing, despite his massive ego.

Omi nodded in response to Mrs Spicer's question, and she smiled sadly.

"He's … never had many friends. I suppose that's my fault …"

"Well," said Clay, who was still smiling, "he's got us. He ain't such a bad guy when he puts his mind to it."

"You see, mum? You don't have to worry about me."

"Well …"

To sweeten the deal, Bai Hu said, "We're not going to make any of the monks fight Wuya. That would be tantamount to suicide."

"Okay," said Mrs Spicer slowly. "I can't say I'm completely happy with it – or with any of you creatures, for that matter – but … if it's the only way to get the world back to normal … go for it."

Jack smiled, then – a real, genuine smile.

"Thanks, mom."

She smiled back.

* * *

For the first time since the events in Wuya's palace, Omi, Kimiko, Jack and Clay were finally back together in the real world. And so it was that the four youngsters were to be found in front of the Jing Fountain, standing in a line, rather like new recruits in an army. Because, now that the joy of reunion had died down a bit, it was time for something far less enjoyable.

The scolding.

And Long was furious.

"Why in the name of all that's good did you go to Wuya's palace? You were supposed to retrieve the Shen Gong Wu. That's all! You were never supposed to engage against her at all! You were supposed to stay well away from her, at all costs! What on earth were you thinking?"

_Aha,_ thought Dojo, as Long paced up and down, going on a tirade about how dangerous Wuya was, how close they had been to death and how they'd lost their elements. _This is more like it._

Omi had his head bowed, looking very ashamed, and somewhat in conflict. He valued obedience more than anything, except perhaps friendship. He felt like he'd done the right thing by trying to save Kimiko. Hadn't that been the honourable thing to do?

"I am most sorry," Omi began, "I did not th–"

"_Oh_," snapped Long, cutting him off. "So you're _sorry_."

"It wasn't our fault," Jack piped up defensively, the slightest hint of anger in his voice despite his attempt to remain impassive. "Raimundo pushed Kimiko inside a Tiger Claw portal! What were we supposed to do – let Wuya do to Kimiko what she's done to Raimundo?"

Something seemed to snap inside Kimiko, and she glared at Long, then. "Are we all that expendable? Trash? Is that all we are to you? Tools to get the job done?"

Long instantly faltered at this outburst. "W-w – No…" She had been the one to react so strongly to his suggestion to forget about the lost Dragon, he remembered. Perhaps that hadn't been the best thing to say at the time, he mused. He sighed. "No. Not at all."

"And how were you planning on getting back?" SilverClaw said coldly, arms folded. Apparently she had decided to invite herself to the Grill The Monks party.

"Magic?" Jack retorted sarcastically, not liking the Shoka's overbearing attitude. He liked her even less when she moved closer to him, coming to a stop right in front of him.

"You're nothing but a _big baby_," she hissed in a low voice, towering over him in an imposing manner, looking very much like a drill sergeant. "A baby and his toy robots," she sneered, flicking his forehead with a root-finger. "_How quaint_." Jack growled as she turned to her right and began to pace in the same way Long had. "By all rights, you should be dead. All of you. I'm actually surprised you didn't get lost in the Dream World. I'm even more surprised that Wuya chose to spare you, because you're not _worth_ sparing."

Omi and Clay both frowned at her, holding her in even lower esteem than before when she'd been constantly suggesting to give up on Kimiko and just kill Wuya. Kimiko was seething, too, now understanding why Dojo didn't like her. So arrogant!

Long sighed, massaging his temples, as though he had a huge migraine. It seemed he hadn't counted on SilverClaw being present. "That's enough. If you feel so strongly about their incompetence, why don't you train them yourself?"

"Oh, no," she smirked, causing Long to become open-mouthed in astonishment, "I'm not bailing you out this time. I'm tired of solving your problems for you. This time you're on your own. I'm leaving."

Now Long narrowed his eyes at SilverClaw. "Have you lost your mind? How can you turn your back on us now, when we need you the most?"

"I'll let you in on a secret. I actually don't give a damn any more. I don't have to care about the world. All that matters to me is the safety of my people. Even so, I've given you my advice: kill Wuya. But you've all chosen to ignore it, so you can all reap the consequences of your actions."

"Where _have_ you been for all this time, SilverClaw?" Long said, suddenly suspicious. "Why did you come back if you care so little for the world's future?"

She didn't answer the question, choosing to sneer instead. "I'll show you where the temples are, but that's all I'm going to do. And we'll see how long your champions last, Long. Not very long, by the looks of things. You'd better hope that they improve, because next time I'm not going to be there to save them."

Long frowned as she stalked away from the lake. He still looked disappointed with the group, but at the same time, he seemed to be more disappointed with SilverClaw. There was a pause where nothing could be heard except the trickle of greyish water from the Jing Fountain behind them.

Then Long said, "I apologise for SilverClaw's behaviour. You should disregard her remarks. You all have remarkable potential. There is great strength to be found in your camaraderie, but it was a little too much too soon. You all need to learn not to be so impetuous. In any case … Make sure to get a good night's sleep, because your training will begin tomorrow. You'll each travel to your respective elemental temples and work to regain your elements. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

He transformed into his red dragon form, and turned back to face Jack. "Oh, and Jack? Please go to Befana's house. She needs to speak to you about Raimundo." He flew up swiftly, and left the area rather hurriedly.

"_That_ was SilverClaw?" Kimiko asked angrily, as soon as Long was out of earshot.

"What a bitch," said Jack.

"Tell me about it," said Dojo.

* * *

Jack was glad he was wearing his black overcoat. It was late at night and the fresh, cool mountain air had a biting chill to it, but he was braving it because he hadn't been able to sleep at all. It felt like he'd been awake for many hours while he'd been wandering through the Dream World, when he'd really been unconscious, and this awake-but-asleep sensation had messed up his body clock. Not only that, he was _scared_ to go back to sleep. He didn't want to have any nightmare-visions of Wuya going on one of her killing sprees; and Fafnir had raised the weirdness factor to a whole new freaktastic level. To clear his mind, he had decided to gather some tools from his aircraft. Working on robots always made him feel better.

He knelt on some grass, using a wrench to tighten the screws on his Chameleon-bot, which was seated upright against a tree. The sphinxes had really messed it up, but it was nothing he wouldn't be able to fix. It could come in handy, he reasoned. And, if he was being honest, he was happy that he had something constructive to do. He hated being useless. He knew he was getting the hang of playing the friendship game – a game at which Omi excelled – but he still felt more comfortable around his robots. Back in his element again.

His element …

He was also excited and nervous about going to the Metal temple tomorrow, too … He had so many questions for Bai Hu it was as if his brain was suffering from mental diarrhoea. It was going to be a long night. He doubted he'd get that good night's sleep at all.

"Jack …"

He looked up to his right and saw Kimiko, and his Jack-bots shone all their torches in her eyes, forcing her to squint and put up her arms to shield her face. Jack was half annoyed that his time alone had been interrupted, but this was quickly overtaken by the surprise and joy that Kimiko – Kimiko! – had come to keep him company.

"Hey, Kimiko," he greeted, trying to act blasé. "Couldn't sleep either, huh?"

She nodded weakly and took a seat not far from the Chameleon-bot. Something was troubling her; it looked as though she hadn't slept in weeks. Her eyes were clouded over with worry and fear.

_What's with her?_

However hard it had been for him to be a lost soul, it must have a hundred times worse for Kimiko; her soul had been absorbed by Wuya. Even if it had been only temporary, it must have been a terrible experience, one akin to the nightmares he had gone through.

"What's wrong?" he ventured.

She blinked, as if coming out of a trance. "I … it's nothing. It's just … Raimundo."

Raimundo? Was that _it_?

"That jerk?"

Kimiko went from anxious to furious in less than a second. But then, she wasn't the Dragon of Fire for nothing.

"Look who's talking! You betrayed us in Wuya's palace!"

Funny, how much the trip to the Dream World had changed him. Before, he would have been on the defensive with a boastful claim that he was the greatest genius in all known universes, everyone else's opinions be damned. But now, he just shrugged nonchalantly, and went back to fixing his robot.

"I'm sorry about that. I really am. I admit it – I gave in. But at least I'm trying to make things right. I'm going to work hard to make sure Wuya doesn't take over the world. I can't do that the way I am now."

Kimiko was stunned into silence. Jack had admitted he was wrong, he had apologised and he had said he was going to work hard. And he didn't seem to want to take over the world any more…

Even though he didn't look directly at her, he could still sense her confusion. "You can think what you like about me. I don't care. I'm not going to take the easy way out any more. If you've got something to say, just say it."

"All right," she said, taking a deep breath. "You really want to know what I think? You're useless. You can't fight your way out of a paper bag. How in the world do you expect to win against someone like Wuya when even Omi couldn't beat her?"

He still didn't look up. "If that's what you think, then it's only going to be that much more satisfying when I wipe the floor with the lot of you," he said coolly. However, his voice lacked that arrogant bite Jack's words normally carried.

"You've changed …" she said, getting up suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"You – you're not you!"

"What?" said Jack, who was now focusing his full attention on her. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I've never seen you like this."

"Did it ever occur to you that this might actually be me finally asserting myself – my true self – and that what you saw before was just a façade?"

Kimiko said nothing.

"Hmph. Didn't think so." Even this was said without Jack's usual rancid sneer, however. He wasn't angry in the slightest. He was so calm. Kimiko had never seen Jack so focused, so determined before. Though it was a fine distinction, arrogance wasn't the same time as self-confidence, and Jack seemed to fully believe in himself.

"You've always been cocky, and self-assured, but there was no substance in it," she said slowly, staring at him with an emotion Jack couldn't quite place – awe? Understanding? It was as if she was seeing him in a different light for the first time.

"You were deluding yourself," she said, "thinking you were stronger than you really were. And yet now … You really believe in yourself and your potential, don't you? It's not just because you've got an element. There's a determination inside you that wasn't there before. It's as if you _have_ to train, at all costs. Why?"

Jack was in no hurry to tell her. He didn't want to remember himself. "None of your beeswax," he said, meeting her strange stare dead-on. "But, I'll tell you one thing. I'm not going to give up like Raimundo did. And don't give me that look. It isn't my fault he went over to Wuya's side of the fence. Really. It isn't. It was his decision. So stop taking it out on me."

And then, Jack finally realised something. "That's why it hurts more, isn't it? Because he chose it. He was your friend, and he chose power and glory over you guys."

Kimiko swallowed. "You're right," she said, sounding loath to admit it. "It didn't hurt so much when you double-crossed us, because we were enemies to start off with. I didn't put anything past you, so it was easier to be angry with you. But … We trained together. Don't do the same thing, Jack. Don't let me get close to you and then stab me in the back. I'd rather you stabbed me in the front. At least it would hurt less."

"I'm not going to do any 'stabbing'. I saw –" His eyes lowered as he caught himself. "Look – I saw something in the Dream World. A vision, if you like. I know what kind of world Wuya wants."

And at that moment, when Jack's eyes dulled in remembrance, she understood. She could tell that Jack had seen the same darkness she had when she'd been inside Wuya.

"_That's_ why I want to train. But," he said, standing up from his kneeling position, and grinning, "I never said I wasn't in it for myself."

"But Wuya's trapped behind Befana's prison, isn't she?"

Jack shook his head. "That won't last long. Trust me. It's only a matter of time before she finds a way out. It might be a matter of days, weeks or months, but she'll find a way. I'd rather be prepared for it."

Kimiko looked down at the ground.

"What's wrong now?" he frowned, finally letting his annoyance show.

"Befana said Wuya had drawn something on my forehead, and she thinks it was a way of labelling me as hers, but it's completely vanished now. I wonder why she let me go. I just don't understand it. She had me at her mercy. But she let me go. Why?"

"I think it has something to do with what happened in the Dream World."

"What happened?"

Jack gave a short, edited version of his and the others' adventures in the Dream World, leaving out the weirder bits, and emphasising the eventual battle against Fafnir in the Yinying world.

"So … what – we have a new enemy to worry about?"

"Seems so."

Kimiko thought about how spooked Wuya had been in the Mengmei Plains. "One that even Wuya's afraid of. This is bad …"

"See, Wuya _wants_ us to train so that we'll do the dirty work for her. She's probably hoping we end up destroying each other."

"And that's why she let me go …"

"But … that's not the whole story. She's said some really cryptic things. Damn, I wish I knew what she was talking about. Why does she always have to have some hidden agenda?"

"Jack," Kimiko asked suddenly, "what happened in the Horn of Qilin cave? Did you see anything? Anything at all?"

Immediately, he frowned. "Why is it so important?" Befana had asked him for exactly the same information when he had been at her house earlier, and as soon as he'd mentioned Horn of Qilin, she'd gasped and become just a little more frantic than usual.

"It just is, okay?"

"I … well, okay. It was all a bit chaotic. Wuya had frozen Omi, and Dojo tried to save him. I swooped in and grabbed the Horn of Qilin. I chucked it on the ground because I thought it was useless, and it started shooting beams everywhere, and everyone ran for cover. I think someone used the Reversing Mirror."

Kimiko gasped and clicked her fingers, looking as if she'd just solved a sphinx's riddle. Jack's frown hadn't left.

"What's so special about the Horn of Qilin? I mean, apart from the obvious."

"Don't you get it? Jeez, you can be unbelievably dense for a genius."

"Evil boy genius. _Evil_ boy genius."

She ignored him; though at least he was acting more like his old self again. "We've all been racking our brains, trying to figure out why Raimundo was being such a jerk. And we had the answer right under our noses the whole time! Remember when we were in your basement, talking about what to do? And Dojo was telling us about the hidden properties of the Horn?"

"I think …"

It really felt like such a long time ago, but Jack could vaguely recall Dojo talking about the Horn, and telling them to leave it outside his lab. Kimiko wasn't surprised it had taken so long to figure things out. So much had happened since the events in Wuya's palace – and that was where Raimundo had first been acting so bizarre.

"Listen. Omi's certain that Raimundo was normal before he'd been frozen, so whatever Wuya's done, she must have done _after_ Omi was frozen. And Dojo said it was bad if Wuya had both the Reversing Mirror and the Horn of Qilin, because she'd be able to use them both together. That must be what happened to Raimundo! So," she said, practically bubbling with excitement and hope, "all we have to do is use the Horn of Qilin on him and he'll be back to normal!"

But to Kimiko's surprise, Jack's frown deepened further. "Something's not right. Why would Raimundo be so subservient towards Wuya? Think about it: if a beam makes a person truly evil, that person wouldn't be content merely being someone's _servant_, they'd want to do things their own evil way. I bet Wuya's done more than just Reverse-Horned him. She's gotta know that one zap from a regular beam would be enough to turn him back to normal."

Despite this statement, Kimiko was looking far less worried than she had when she had arrived. In fact, she was quite visibly relieved.

"At least now I know it wasn't really him," she explained, after a pause.

Jack's frown remained in place. He hadn't thought about it until now, but he was beginning to have an inkling of an idea.

And if he was right, then Raimundo was doomed.

"I'll ask her," he declared, placing his wrench on the ground and turning around, a determined look on his face.

"You – what?"

"I'll ask Wuya myself."

"But – that's crazy!"

"Like you said, she's safe behind bars for the moment."

"But –"

"Wish me luck."

Kimiko stared into his back as he left.

"Idiot …"

* * *

"Well," said Wuya, smirking broadly at Jack's demand from behind her magic barrier, "you've certainly grown a backbone. It must be the spell I cast on you. Or maybe it's just plain stupidity?"

"What the hell?" Befana barked, who, between dealing with Wuya, Raimundo's brother, Raimundo himself and SilverClaw's unexpected decision, was looking very irritable indeed. Jack's sudden arrival was something she most certainly didn't need. "Jack! How'd you get past the guards I placed? No, never mind, I don't wanna know. Go away!

"Wait," she added quickly and suspiciously, whirling round to glare at Wuya, "_what_ spell?"

"Oh, don't worry yourself, dear," Wuya said with a snort, "it was just a little something to help protect him from Fafnir."

Confusion appeared all over the other witch's face. "Fafnir? What's he got to do with anything?"

"Actually," said Wuya, smiling pleasantly, "I was hoping you could tell me."

* * *

**An apology and a confession:**

I'd like to apologise to everyone who's been following this. I've been finding it increasingly difficult to find the time and drive to write this, particularly since the XS fandom appears to be crawling to a halt these days. To be honest, I'm not sure how far I'll go with it any more, since my interest in it is slowly dying. I really feel like this fic is overshadowing everything else, like it's draining resources I'd rather use on other fics and other things. I think it's the style I'm using for it. I seem to have two very different styles – or ways – of writing. One is to be very methodical and planned. The other is to just to write the first thing that comes into my head, similar to what I did with the Land of Muses fics I did long ago.

Dream Tomorrow uses the methodical way, and it takes ages because I spend a lot time going through each chapter, making sure I haven't missed anything important to the plot. I can't change this now that I'm so far in. I do like this style, because the tone ends up being a lot darker and sinister in nature, but the fact is, the more random way just doesn't take as long, mainly because the plot ends up being far less complicated. These days I only really have time to do chapters in short, sharp bursts; I simply don't have the time to do long-ass, confusing chapters any more.

Recently, I've been playing around with ideas and plots for other fics that I'd much rather write, but seeing that I had a good chunk of this chapter done ages ago I thought I'd update this one first before I really got going on anything new. My focus will more than likely shift to my other fics in progress. I have started (but not uploaded) a Sonic the Hedgehog fanfic, and a Legend of Zelda fanfic, both in the random, light-hearted manner.

In any case, this fic isn't quite dead yet, but I may have to put it on another hiatus if it takes me this long to update again next time.

And, finally: if there's one thing I've learned from doing this fic, it's this. Finish the story first and THEN upload.

Next chapter: "Some Answers"


	8. Author's notes: Story outline and ending

**Uploaded 17-07-10**

It's been, like, over three years since I posted chapter 7. Phew.

**AUTHOR'S NOTES - OUTLINE AND ENDING  
**

So I noticed the other day that ffnet had eaten all the chapter dividers on my old stories, and that prompted a re-read of everything... and that in turn prompted me to write an outline of what was supposed to happen in this complicated tale... so even though my creative muse has given up on the project, at least people will know how it was supposed to end.

I've lost (or maybe thrown away) my old notes, so this is all from memory. =/ Also, it's possible not all of these ideas would have been revealed or even used, but regardless, this is the backstory. Remember, too, that this was written in between that huge gap between season 1 and season 2, where no one knew what was going to happen to Raimundo, so season 2 & 3 canon does not exist.

* * *

**PLOT THREADS, IDEAS, EXPLANATIONS ETC. **

_Random bits and bobs_

- DarkClaw was working with Fafnir. This is the meaning of the first and fourth scenes of chapter 3. I forget DarkClaw's motive because I'm an idiot, but I _think _it had something to do with being fed up of being stuck in the hidden Shoka village, and getting back at SilverClaw. Or something.

- Katnappe stole some Shen Gong Wu from Ping-jing by using pixie dust. This is the scene at the beginning of chapter 6. She was being influenced by the selkie Blueneck, who was also working for Fafnir. Speaking of selkies...

- the selkies lured Clay's mother away, years ago, and that's why he dreams of her, and seals. Can't remember why they did this, or what the significance of it was, just that they did it. =/

_**Fafnir**_ - darkness given form. Made up of the combined spirits of darkness, a.k.a. the world's largest Huai-Ren. Something along those lines, anyway. He has the form of a black dragon.

_**Xiaolin**__** Dragons and**__** Heylin**__** Tigers**_ - The Heylin temple was not evil, it just taught a different fighting style, and was for magical creatures; however it gained a reputation for being evil when Wuya began her takeover bid 1500 yrs ago. Anyone training there also had elemental affinity. Before Wuya became evil, both Wuya and Fengqu trained there.

_**Akhlut**_ - Guardian of the Water (Ice) temple, and of SilverClaw's map. Has the ability to shape-shift from a wolf to an orca (like the mythical creature). Trains Omi.

_**Scirocco**_ and _**Mistral **_- Twin guardians of the Wind temple. Two feathered dragons. Scirocco is the name of a southerly wind that blows into the Mediterranean sea from the Sahara desert, and it's hot like hell. In contrast, the Mistral (maestrale in Italian) is a wind blowing into the Mediterranean from the north/northwest, and is much colder.

_**Gui Xian**_ - Guardian of Earth. A giant tortoise.

_**Feng Huang**_ - Fire Guardian. A fiery phoenix.

_**Li Jin**_ - General/Leader, who was a hero amongst the humans.

_**Gong Gong**_ - sigh... Something to do with the Heylin. I think. I had a chapter name in mind called Gong Gong's Gong, because gong means palace in Mandarin.

_**Nu Wa**_ - creator snake of the world, and the one responsible for the current system of flowing souls, jing, eight elements etc. In their early days Wuya and Fengqu both visited her to try to change this system. She wouldn't budge. They were both pissed off about it, but dealt with it in different ways...

_**Fengqu**_ - old acquaintance of Wuya's. He's got a playful, sunny personality and is one of those people who's always smiling. They both suffered during the war between humans and magical creatures, but both had completely opposite ways of thinking, in regards to what they should do next. In his cheerful, idealistic way, Fengqu wanted to promote peace and, with SilverClaw, left the Heylin temple and joined the Xiaolin one in an attempt to understand humans. Wuya went down the I-need-more-power route, and it wasn't till later that Fengqu discovered why. Later on, and as more years pass, Fengqu becomes disheartened (I forget why) and is persuaded to change the world by force (as shown in the prologue). This is an action he then deeply regrets because it leads to the dark future, and so Future him tries to change this action by altering the time streams and sending his soul all about the place in order to contact his past self. His past self in turn tries to contact Jack... and he succeeds in chapter 2 in this fic.

_**Moshu-Ren**_ - after being driven off by Li Jin, most of them disguised themselves as griffins and lived their lives peacefully (well, away from everyone else at least) ever since. The ones that didn't tried to integrate with humans, but all but died out. All the griffins in the world - and in the story - are, in fact, Moshu-Ren. Wuya doesn't know this.

- the panda in Jack's vision of the dark future is actually Fengqu, showing his regret for helping the rogue Moshu-Ren.

- and - get this - Cloudstorm is actually Fengqu. He throws his soul all over the timeline a lot, heh.

_Chapter 8 "Some Answers" outline:_

- Continues from where chapter 7 left off. Befana wonders what on earth Wuya's talking about; both Wuya and Jack mention the meeting with Fafnir and how he mentioned a Shoka. Befana then wonders if that's the real reason SilverClaw left. Jack confronts Wuya, asking her whether Raimundo is going to turn into a Huai-Ren because she has control over his soul. She doesn't answer directly, but her reaction says enough. Both Befana and Jack leave, Befana saying she'll try her best to change Raimundo back to normal - but it won't be easy.

- Jack and the Xiaolin warriors (minus Raimundo) begin their training at the respective elemental temples. Kimiko, Omi, and Clay regain their elements. Bai Hu has fun teaching Jack to use magnetic forces to hold up his sword, and there is an explanation of the powers of Metal. Jack's Metal element is the reason why his machines work. The Metal element is able to "conduct" other elements, and also magic.

- Befana confronts SilverClaw, and finds out more about DarkClaw. Which leads to the next bit...

- Fafnir attempts to storm Ping-jing (Katnappe, Tubbimura, Blueneck are in the attack); in the ensuing chaos, Wuya escapes. Raimundo turns into a Huai-Ren.

_Chapter 9 onwards:_

- Both Wuya and Fafnir are after information on the elemental temples, and gather up their own forces. Jack pays a visit to his house, where he reveals the project (master invention) he had been working on in Chapter 7 of the Lost Dragon: a giant airship, which is fast, has a cloaking device, has the anti-magic force-field and is - best of all - "Wuya-proof."

- at some point the group captures Huai-Ren Raimundo, with the help of Uru & Ricky's group (remember them?). Befana has been working on something to help Rai, and manages to put a spell to make him docile, but is unable to do more to fully restore him.

- In another dream, future Fengqu appears, to warn Jack of what future Wuya is planning. Jack uses the beans that the stork gave him in order to create the Zhong Float, and he installs it inside his airship. This allows the group to travel up the streams of time into the past. He creates a seal on the Water temple which prevents Wuya of the dark, destroyed future from interfering.

- Jack, the Xiaolin warriors and Huai-Ren Raimundo go back in time and arrive just after a war between factions of humans, Moshu-Ren, and magical creatures had ended. Tensions are still high, so the group use Shen Gong Wu to disguise themselves as magical creatures.

_(A glimpse of the aftermath of the war is shown in this fic's prologue. Only this group of Moshu-Ren were opposed to Nu Wa; it turns out that all of the remaining Moshu-Ren did not want to fight, but they were hated and feared, and were driven away by the Shoka, and sick of being in a world which despised them, departed to pastures new.)_

- The Xiaolin warriors meet Fengqu. He's older than the Fengqu Jack met in chapter 2, but younger than the Fengqu in the prologue. Jack discovers that he and Fengqu are responsible for creating the Shen Gong Wu, in order to stop Wuya. Fengqu knows Jack's identity because he'd contacted him in chapter 2. Fengqu declares that he's made a mistake in helping Wuya to absorb the xing xing jing; she's gone completely out of control, and he's determined to stop her.

- Dream scene where there is a fight in the Thunder temple; Raicho the thunderbird loses her powers when Wuya attacks her. In this scene, Jack then discovers that Fafnir corrupted Wuya (this has already been hinted at in the currently uploaded chapters) in order to escape the prison in which Nu Wa placed him inside. Fengqu finds this out at the same time. _(Perhaps Jack and Fengqu both see a vision together, or perhaps they time travel, I hadn't quite worked out how they're both in this scene yet.) _Whichever way they got there, Jack and Fengqu's appearance causes an interference and Fafnir loses control; Wuya turns on Fafnir and takes his power to control Huai-Ren, and thinking she is one of the last Moshu-Ren left, gathers a following and starts a takeover bid.

- After the Fafnir scene, Fengqu removes the Yizhi spell from Raimundo, restoring his free will; however, in order to restore his human form, they must travel to the Wind temple. Raimundo battles the Wind temple guardians, Scirocco and Mistral, and regains his human form, as well as his element. Raimundo is racked with guilt; Jack, Kimiko and Clay don't trust him/find it hard to forgive him but Omi knows he hasn't been acting like himself since the Horn of Qilin cave. _(Maybe a Raimundo and Omi friendship scene.)_

- Still in the past, and still with Jack's airship, the group travel around the world (minus Raimundo, who stays at the Wind temple to train), with Dashi, SilverClaw, Dojo, and Fengqu to borrow essence from lots of magical creatures. Bai Hu's essence is used to create the Golden Tiger Claws, for example. Gui Xian the turtle's essence is used to create the puzzle box. Dashi is a special Chosen, able to tap into all the elements, which makes him the best person to fight Wuya with the Shen Gong Wu, so he's the lucky person given the task to seal her away.

- As well as create the puzzle box to stop Wuya in this time, Fengqu and Jack hatch a plan to stop Wuya in Jack's time. Lots of debate about time paradoxes here, and Fengqu wonders whether he should still help Wuya like he did in the prologue to avoid a paradox; in the end the group decide that they must go back to the present day and stop Fafnir there. If Fafnir is the cause of Wuya's descent into darkness, then he's the one that needs to be stopped. Fengqu powers up Jack's sword with a spell, as it turns out Fengqu was a previous Chosen of Metal, and the group travels back to the present day.

_SUCKY DUMBASS MORONIC ENDING_

- one of those massive Lord of the Rings battle scenes for the ending: Wuya's forces versus the creatures of Ping-jing versus Fafnir's forces in a three-way Super Smash Brothers style brawl...

- ...which culminates in a final Xiaolin showdown against Wuya... This part I hadn't fully planned yet, but the ending was probably going to have Fafnir and Wuya merging; Jack and the Xiaolin warriors (including Raimundo, YAY) use their elements to exorcise Fafnir and destroy him for good; Jack uses his sword of Metal to restore the xing xing jing, returning the Wood element and Lightning element to where they belong... and Wuya turns into a griffin. Or dies. You decide.

* * *

I think that's everything. I've probably just gone and created a gazillion plot holes by posting this, but at least the gist of the story is up now.

Finally, I'd like to say a huge thank you to all the people who have reviewed and/or read this and the Lost Dragon, and to all the people in the Xiaolin Showdown fandom who gave me the inspiration to write as much as I did (you all know who you are). It was all those conversations on Livejournal and on (the now dead) TV tome that allowed me to come up with all the ideas in the first place. Fun times. ^_^


End file.
